Grapefruit juice may kill you, says evidence from research: Report

Grapefruit normally doesn'tnormallyfall on the wrong side of diet. A casual chew on a boring day or a swig of its juice can lift up your mood.

But now, a growing body of research is showing that grapefruit juice when taken while on certain medications can potentially even be fatal. There are hazards associated with the refreshing drink if we are not careful.

Grapefruit juice contains two members of a class of chemical compounds called furanocoumarins in high concentrations. These compounds can enhance or reduce the uptake of certain drugs by the body. This may in turn result in dangerously low or dangerously high concentration of drugs in the body.

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"The juice lets more of the drug enter the blood… When there is too much drug in the blood, you may have more side effects." said Shiew Mei Huang of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as quoted by ScienceAlert.

Human body produces an enzyme called Cytochrome P450 3A4 (or CYP3A4). It is produced mainly in liver and small intestine. The enzyme helps the body break down small molecules like those of toxins or drugs. This breakdown helps the body to flush the molecules out.

As per the report in ScienceAlert, a single glass of grapefruit juice can interfere with CYP3A4 and repeated consumption may reduce CYP3A4 liver activity.

This can then affect body's ability to metabolise some oral drugs. The drug, when it enters the bloodstream may stay in the body longer and may produce an overdose effect even when it is taken in right dosage.

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This can result in rapid heartbeat, bone marrow toxicity, breakdown of muscle tissue, shortness of breath and other effects.

In extreme but also rare cases, the effect can be fatal, says the report.

(Disclaimer: The content in this article cannot replacea medical opinion given by licensed medical professional. Consult your doctor and follow the advice on health issues specific to you.)

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