![]() ![]() Other calcium channel blockers that have been discovered to interact with grapefruit include nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem, nisoldipine, nimlodipine, nitrendipine, amlodipine and nifedipine. ![]() 14 The accidental observation of pharmacokinetic interaction between ethanol and dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist (felodipine) when grapefruit juice was used as a flavour to mask the ethanol taste in a study by Bailey et al. Hence, nothing has been done to address the dangers that patients often expose themselves to while taking grapefruit with prescribed medications.Ĭardiovascular drugs constitute more than 50% of the close to 40 or more drugs so far known to interact with grapefruit, and the list is growing. Grapefruit–drug interactions have been known for nearly a decade now, but unlike drug–drug interactions, food–drug interactions are difficult to legislate. The list of bioactive compounds in grapefruit is by no means exhaustive, and understanding their chemistry in relation to the claimed medicinal benefits is the biggest challenge facing the scientific community.Ī cardiovascular drugs prescriber’s nightmareĪ sensational case report published in the Lancet last year, 13 describing a 42-year-old woman who developed venous thrombosis after taking grapefruit for three days while on a contraceptive, ethynylestradiol, marked the return of the ‘dragon’. 12 Naringin is the most abundant flavanone in grapefruit, but it is converted to its corresponding aglycone (naringenin) and sugars by intestinal bacteria following ingestion 1, 12 (Fig. The flavanones (naringin and hesperidin) and limonoids (limonin) are responsible for the bitter taste commonly associated with grapefruit. 7 Other chemical constituents identified in grapefruit include: limonoid aglycones, glucosides, furanocoumarins (bergamottin, 6′,7′-dihydroxybergamottin), ascorbic acid, folic acid, glucaric acid, carotenoids, pectin and potassium. 6 Flavonoids constitute the most abundant bioactive constituents of the grapefruit, and four types of flavonoids (flavanones, flavones, flavonols and anthocynanins) have been identified in the Citrus fruits. Their relative abundance varies according to the variety, geographical location, time of harvesting and the method of processing the grapefruit. 5Ĭlaims of medicinal properties of grapefruit have led to increased worldwide consumption and renewed interest from basic and clinical research laboratories trying to unravel the ‘mystery’ of this ancient fruit.Ī wide variety of bioactive compounds in grapefruit have been isolated and characterised. 2 These pigmented cultivars have now become more popular and are generally preferred to white grapefruit in the market. 2 Such varieties include: Duncan/Walters (seedy white), Marsh (seedless, white), Foster (seedy, pink), Thompson (seedless, pink), Redblush (seedless, red), and Ruby, Ray Ruby and Flame (seedless, very red). The original grapefruit was white-fleshed and very seedy, but other mutated fruit varieties have been selected for either being seedless or increasingly red in colour. 1 Scientific evidence backed by molecular biological techniques has shown that grapefruit is most probably a hybrid between pummelo ( C grandis) and sweet orange ( C sinensis), followed by introgression back to pummelo. Grapefruit ( Citrus paradise Macf., family: Rutacaeae) is popular worldwide, not only because of its taste and nutritive value, but it is also considered to be a functional food that promotes good health.
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