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Grapefruit … a Powerful Pharmaceutical?
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A humble citrus offers a way to boost the blood levels of a raft of medications—a possible boon for some patients, while a risk factor for the unwary.
30-Second Summary
A recent Wall Street Journal article reports on research involving grapefruit juice and an enzyme, CYP3A4, which occurs naturally in the gut and breaks down certain drugs before they are absorbed by the body.
Grapefruit juice can get rid of that enzyme. As a consequence, a little fruit juice can help more of a medication enter the bloodstream. And that, claims some researchers in Chicago, could lead to lower drug doses and lower medication costs.
There are, however, reasons why the booster effects of grapefruit should be utilized with caution: everyone’s body has a different level of CYP3A4.
A glass of grapefruit juice could raise the effective levels of a medication by 20 percent in one person’s body, and by 100 percent or more in another’s.
Since some medications can be toxic at very high levels, patients must stick to the dose prescribed their doctor. Drugs that interact with grapefruit juice often carry a warning to that effect.
Grapefruit juice can get rid of that enzyme. As a consequence, a little fruit juice can help more of a medication enter the bloodstream. And that, claims some researchers in Chicago, could lead to lower drug doses and lower medication costs.
There are, however, reasons why the booster effects of grapefruit should be utilized with caution: everyone’s body has a different level of CYP3A4.
A glass of grapefruit juice could raise the effective levels of a medication by 20 percent in one person’s body, and by 100 percent or more in another’s.
Since some medications can be toxic at very high levels, patients must stick to the dose prescribed their doctor. Drugs that interact with grapefruit juice often carry a warning to that effect.
Headline Links: ‘Grapefruit effect of drug levels has a sweeter side’
The Wall Street Journal reports that although doctors are excited by the possibility of increasing the effectiveness of some drugs using grapefruit juice, “experts also warn that people should not try boosting on their own to make an expensive medication last longer or make their medications more effective.”
Source: The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Science blog Terra Sigillata responded to The Wall Street Journal story.
Source: Terra Sigillata
Reference Material: Research, the drug industry and the Florida Department of Citrus
Bioavailability Systems, a company mentioned in the Wall Street journal article, is currently experimenting with the effect of grapefruit on CYP3A4.
Source: Bioavailability Systems
The Journal of Clinical Oncology has a letter from members of the Hematology/Oncology Section at the University of Chicago Department of Medicine about using grapefruit and its extracts to lower drug costs. An important point is emphasized: this is not something people should experiment with at home. Patients should always talk to their doctor if concerned or interested in how a medication and grapefruit could interact.
Source: The Journal of Clinical Oncology
The Florida Department of Citrus’s offers its take on grapefruit juice-drug interaction. The department points out that other foods, such as broccoli, can also interact with certain medications.
Source: The Florida Department of Citrus
Find out how grapefruit works its magic from a 2006 press release from the National Institutes of Health.
Source: The National Institutes of Health
The National Center for Biotechnology Information’s page on CYP3A4 contains links to research studies involving the enzyme, which gets to medications before they have a chance to enter the bloodstream.
Source: The National Center for Biotechnology Information
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