September 15, 2008

1 Min Read
On medication? Apple and orange juice may interfere too

If you've been told not to drink grapefruit juice because it interferes with your medication, you may have to add apple and orange juice to the no-no list now. The Natural Foods Merchandiser reports.

In 1991, David G. Bailey, PhD., discovered that taking grapefruit juice with blood pressure medication stopped the body from properly absorbing the drugs, rendering them ineffective at best and creating a toxic overdose at worst. Now, Bailey has discovered the problem goes beyond grapefruit juice, and doctors are recommending patients stick with a glass of water for taking pills.

A slew of drugs ranging from allergy medications to chemotherapy drugs interact poorly when taken with juice, diminishing their effectiveness or blocking them out altogether.

"A normal amount of grapefruit or several other citrus fruits consumed even many hours beforehand has the potential to cause unintentional overdose toxicity of more than 40 medications. Recently, we discovered that grapefruit and other fruit juices substantially decreased the oral absorption of drugs undergoing intestinal uptake transport," Bailey said. "The concern is loss of benefit of medications essential for the treatment of serious medical conditions."

Many prescription medications have labels warning consumers against drinking grapefruit juice, and now apple and orange juice might join their fellow fruit on the sticker.

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