Very few people know about the dangers of mixing certain medications with grapefruit, Canadian scientists warn.
Grapefruit contains a compound which prevents the body decompose certain drugs.
The fruit, also known as grapefruit, is a compound that prevents the intestine or liver decompose certain drugs which may lead to dangerous overdose.
Researchers identified the risk that the finding published in Canadian Medical Association Journal (Journal of the Canadian Medical Association), claim that the number of drugs that become hazardous with grapefruit is increasing rapidly.
The team from the Lawson Health Research in Canada says the number of drugs that have serious side effects with grapefruit has increased from 17 in 2008 to 43 in 2012.
These include medicines for a variety of diseases including hypertension, cancer, cholesterol-lowering statins and drugs to suppress the immune system after an organ transplant.
The grapefruit contains a chemical compound called furanocoumarins, which eliminates an enzyme in the body that breaks down the drug.
This causes exhaust digestive system a much higher amount of medicine that the body is capable of handling.
Interaction serious
"A tablet with a glass of grapefruit juice can become similar to taking five or 10 tablets with a glass of water "
Dr. David Bailey
The researchers found that reports of patients who had taken a glass of grapefruit juice three times had a higher level of a drug for hypertension, felodipine, that those who had taken a glass of water.
Side effects were varied depending on the drug, but including stomach bleeding, abnormal heart rhythm, kidney damage and sudden death.
One of the researchers, Dr. David Bailey, told the BBC that "a tablet with a glass of grapefruit juice can become something similar to take five or 10 tablets with a drink of water."
"And people say, 'do not believe it', but I can prove scientifically that this is correct."
"So you unwittingly may move from one level to a toxic level therapeutic just consume grapefruit juice" adds.
"We hold that within the general community to health care is a lack of knowledge about this interaction," say the researchers.
"Unless health professionals are aware of the possibility that they are seeing adverse event can have an origin in a recent addition of grapefruit in the diet of the patient, it is very unlikely that it investigated," they add.
We found 43 drugs that interact with grapefruit.
Other citrus that can have a similar effect are bitter orange (or Seville orange) that is often used to make jam, and lime.
Neal Patel of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said that "the grapefruit is not the only food that can cause problems.'s Milk, for example, can prevent the absorption of some antibiotics if taken at the same time."
"While some of these may not be clinically important, others may have more serious consequences."
"Pharmacists are the best reference point for anyone who is concerned about how your diet can affect your medication."
"And any interaction information should always be included in the literature accompanying the medications that target the patient," adds the expert.
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