What's so special about grapefruit?

You take a big Ruby Red grapefruit and sprinkle it with sugar after you cut it in half.,then you scoop it up with a spoon,,,,muy bueno Chica., but first consult your physician.

Perhaps the acidic level is higher with grapefruit than with other citric fruits. I don’t know if that’s the case or not, it’s just my best guess.

I had to get it from Wikipedia but here’s the scoop:

Grapefruit can have a number of interactions with drugs, often increasing the effective potency of compounds. Grapefruit contains naringin, bergamottin and dihydroxybergamottin, which inhibit the protein isoform CYP3A4 predominately in the liver. It is via inhibition of this enzyme that grapefruit increases the effects of a variety of drugs. The effect of grapefruit juice with regard to drug absorption was originally discovered in 1989. However, the effect became well-publicized after being responsible for a number of deaths due to overdosing on medication.

Grapefruit juice may be the first documented, but apple and orange juices have been also implicated in interfering with etoposide, a chemotherapy drug, some beta blocker drugs used to treat high blood pressure, and cyclosporine, taken by transplant patients to prevent rejection of their new organs.

I always thought the word grapefruit was invented by a redundant caveman.

I dont like Grapefruit! But it is special because its the only fruit you can use as a weapon, shoot some of that juice in someones eye. Works better then a ninja smoke bomb for a quick getaway.

According to medline, if you are taking lipitor, you should not drink more than one liter of grapefruit juice a day.

Another article suggests that timing is important, and you shouldn’t consume grapefruit in any form within a few hours before and after you take the drug. They get very dramatic. I could kill you, they say.

Perhaps conflicting advice on the amount of grapefruit juice. The first study had folks consume a lot over a period of time, and then take lipitor. The second says that if you take grapefruit and lipitor at the same time, you can kill yourself. Grapefruit seems to multiply the effect of lipitor. Some folks wonder if you could take grapefruit instead of lipitor.

Finally, this study says:

“Do I have to give up grapefruit completely if it interacts with my medicine?”
Not necessarily. There are several factors to consider. Some people are resistant to the grapefruit effect because they have lower levels of CYP 3A4. Unfortunately, this is not something most clinical laboratories are likely to measure. An occasional half grapefruit or glass of juice may not raise blood levels enough to cause serious problems, but before doing this experiment, check with your doctor.”

Check with your doctor. Check with your doctor. They all say check with your doctor.

My kids are on a grapefruit binge, and I have been looking on enviously. I allowed myself one half. Now, maybe I’ll up the dose a little.