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Grapefruit

ENJOY Grapefruit if You Take No Medications

Naringenin in citrus fruit possibly can be a new useful treatment for PKD kidney cysts. More research is needed. Keep drinking that hot lemon, freshly made orange juice and lime juices. All contain naringenin.

I first noticed the benefits of drinking freshly squeezed grapefruit juice on a train/plane from Germany. A very dear friend in Trier, Germany, squeezed three grapefruits for me to drink along the way. This was prior to my liver resection. It was the first time I had ever noticed that I had no leg swelling at all on the long flight home. I readily drink grapefruit juice to prevent leg swelling while traveling. Following my liver resection surgery I craved grapefruit. I wanted something sour and fresh. I also craved bitter. Grapefruit has a bit of both flavors. Sweet following my liver resection was something to be avoided.

Grapefruit's Health Benefits Attributed to its Compounds

↓ leg swelling
↓ Cholesterol
↓ appetite & burns fat
↓ weight gain by lowering insulin levels
↓ tobacco harm
↓ free radicals' harm
↓ formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones
↓ inflammation, cold fighter
↓ activity cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke
Grapefruit pectin lowers cholesterol
Lycopene a carotinoid with anti-tumor activity
Vitamin C supports immune system
↑ formation liver lutathione-S-transferase
↑ Limonoids detoxifying liver enzyme
↑ estrogen metabolism through the liver
↑ LDL good cholesterol anthocyanin
↑ bone healing
↑ Phase I & Phase II liver detoxification liver's ability to remove cancer-causing toxins
Grapefruit contains Naringenin repairs damaged DNA in human prostate cancer cell

Caution with Grapefruit while taking medications

Grapefruit interacts with 84 different medications.

Included among the drugs affected by grapefruit are:

Calcium channel blockers used to treat high blood pressure
Non-sedating antihistamines such as Hismanal (astemizole)
Valium (diazepam)
Xanax (alprazolam)
Halcion (triazolam)
Lipitor (atorvastatin)
Mevacor (lovastatin)
Immunosuppressive drugs
Antiviral agents used to treat HIV/AIDS.

Examples of Grapefruit Medication Interactions

Anti-anxiety: Buspirone
Anti-arrhythmia: Amiodarone (Cordarone)
Antidepressant: Sertraline (Zoloft)
Antihistamine: Fexofenadine (Allegra)
Anti-retroviral: Saquinavir (Invirase), indinavir (Crixivan)
Anti-seizure: Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol)
Calcium channel blocker: Nifedipine (Procardia), nimodipine (Nimotop), nisoldipine (Sular)
Immunosuppressant: Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), tacrolimus (Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune)
Statin: Simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), atorvastatin (Lipitor)

When taking certain medications your pharmacist or physician may recommend avoiding grapefruit. Grapefruit juice blocks intestinal wall and liver enzymes called cytochrome P-450 3A4 and 1A2 (CYP3A4 and CYP1A2, for short) required to breakdown or metabolize medications. Concentration of these compounds varies from one batch of juice to another. Drinking grapefruit juice can increase your body‘s absorption of certain drugs, and also slows the process of breaking them down in the liver. Certain affected drugs stay in the body longer.

If you have had a transplant then doctors recommend avoiding grapefruit. This can create fluctuations in medication levels. Some transplant teams will allow grapefruit if you agree to eat or drink a set amount each and everyday, otherwise the risk of losing a transplanted organ is too great. Cyclosporin (Sandimmune) is a difficult transplant drug to regulate even without one using grapefruit; its absorption is variable. Adding grapefruit juice, Mediterranean oranges or Sun Drop, a citrus soda, containing bergamottin all enhance the effect of cyclosporin. Taking St. John's wort reduces the concentration of cyclosporin rendering it less effective.

Prospective study of the association between grapefruit intake and risk of breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

114,504 women with information on dietary intake of grapefruit and on reproductive and lifestyle risk factors were followed for a median 9.5 years. This medical article concludes: There was NO relationship between grapefruit intake and breast cancer risk.

--select a GRAPEFRUIT article-- GRAPEFRUIT management of interactions GRAPEFRUIT food−drug interaction GRAPEFRUIT drug interactions GRAPEFRUIT OATP Fruit Juice Drug Interactions GRAPEFRUIT Potential Drug Interactions GRAPEFRUIT juice can give cancer drugs dramatic boost GRAPEFRUIT NO relationship with estrogen, breast cancer GRAPEFRUIT Drug Interaction Seen With More Drugs GRAPEFRUIT An Orange a Day Keeps Stroke Away GRAPEFRUIT Juice increases plasma antiplatelet effects in healthy GRAPEFRUIT orange & apple juices OATP2B1-mediated drug interactions GRAPEFRUIT naringenin helps PKD GRAPEFRUIT naringenin potential new therapeutic agent in ADPKD GRAPEFRUIT naringenin inhibits allergies GRAPEFRUIT naringenin Protective Effect against retinal injury GRAPEFRUIT naringenin Hepatoprotective Effects of Naringenin GRAPEFRUIT naringenin helps xenoestrogen exposure GRAPEFRUIT naringenin protects against cardiomyoblast oxidative stress GRAPEFRUIT naringenin protects against mice Fed a High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity

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We are  sharing our experiences with PKD/PLD Diet, an adjunct diet envisioning it complementing a physician's prescribed medical therapy. Consider testing this with your doctor's prior knowledge, who can  adjust it according to your own uniqueness by adding it to your current  treatment.

Medical Disclaimer