The grapefruit has been studied extensively over recent years, with its constant links to weight loss and delicious taste, but it would seem that these days the grapefruit is in a spot of bother. According to recent scientific studies, it could actually kill you…

Now there is no real need to panic. You are not going to die right now because you have a grapefruit in your fruit bowl in the kitchen. However, there are a few things that you may just need to know in order to survive this newfound “killer fruit” – they might just save your life!

According to the Canadian Medical Association’s new study, if the grapefruit is combined with just one of over 40 different drugs, it could have serious health repercussions. Unfortunately for most of us, the 43 drugs in question are very common, day-to-day medications that you or I could be taking on a daily basis. Even unluckier for women, the birth control pill is included in that list of 43 drugs that you NOW aren’t allowed to mix with grapefruit.

If I said the word furanocoumarins, would you know what it meant? If you are anything like me, the answer to that question would have been a resounding no! Well, in laymen’s terms, the grapefruit contains the ingredient  furanocoumarins and can cause some pretty bad effects if you’re not careful.

Furanocoumarins stops specific enzymes in the stomach from breaking down any drug that you may be taking. This means the percentage of the drug itself from making its way to your blood stream is increased. In short, the grapefruit will be causing your body to overdose on the drug – in some cases increasing the amount absorbed by your blood by up to ten times as much.

This information that a grapefruit could play interference with your medicine cabinet is no new snippet of information. It was just twenty years ago that Scientists found exactly the same thing but unfortunately for us, the amount of drugs has increased massively. 20 years ago, 17 drugs were deemed dangerous by mixing them with grapefruit enzymes. It has more than doubled to 43 in 20 years. It kind of makes you think just how healthy these fresh fruits and vegetables that we are meant to be increasing in our diets really are, doesn’t it?

So what kind of medicines might be affected by the enzymes within a grapefruit? Looking down the list, it is fairly extensive and more than a little worrying. There are a few anti-cancer drugs on there, anti-diabetic drugs, sedatives, estrogens, and many more. With the birth control pill, the grapefruit has been linked with an increased risk of thrombosis and even breast cancer.  It makes sense to check with your doctor before you eat an abundance of grapefruit, that’s for sure.

So what do you do if you are concerned with the chances of your medications being affected by your diet? It’s simple – see your local doctor or other medical professional for proper advice. As Women’s Health states: “Filling up on grapefruit might help you drop a few pounds, but proceed with caution!”