Fresh fruit juices stops toxic drugs to make harm!

Fruit juices 'stop drugs from working properly'

Drinking fruit juices can prevent vital cancer, heart and blood pressure medicines from working properly, scientists have found.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Last Updated: 2:38PM BST 19 Aug 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2585115/Fr...g-properly.html


Grapefruit, orange and apple juice can block the absorption of certain drugs meaning patients are not getting the full benefit of their treatment, according to new research.

Studies have already found that grapefruit juice can increase the potency of some drugs, risking an overdose and patients are advised to avoid drinking the juice or eating too many grapefruits.

But now a team at University of Western Ontario, in Canada, has found that it can also have the opposite effect.

The understanding of how drugs interact with food is steadily increasing and last year it was found that the dose of lapatinib for advanced breast cancer can be reduced if it is taken with food and grapefruit juice because more of the medicine is absorbed by the body that way.

New studies have identified nearly 50 drugs that interact with grapefruit and other juices, including some that are used to treat life threatening conditions like cancer, heart disease, in patients who have had organ transplants, and infections.

The results were presented the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, in Philadelphia.

Study leader David Bailey, Ph.D., a professor of clinical pharmacology with the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, said: "Recently, we discovered that grapefruit and these other fruit juices substantially decrease the oral absorption of certain drugs undergoing intestinal uptake transport.

"The concern is loss of benefit of medications essential for the treatment of serious medical conditions."

Dr Bailey carried out research in healthy volunteers who were asked to take an antihistamine, used to combat the allergy symptoms and some took it with grapefruit juice, a chemical in grapefruit juice or plain water.

When fexofenadine was taken with grapefruit juice, only half of the drug was absorbed compared to taking the drug with water alone.

A chemical in grapefruit juice, naringin, appears to block the way the body moves the drug from the small intestine into the blood stream.

With other drugs the grapefruit juice blocks the way the body normally breaks down drugs in the system and this boosts their potency.

Dr Bailey said: "This is just the tip of the iceberg.

"I'm sure we'll find more and more drugs that are affected this way."

To date, grapefruit, orange and apple juices have been shown to lower the absorption of etoposide, an anticancer agent; certain beta blockers used to treat high blood pressure and prevent heart attacks; cyclosporine, a drug taken to prevent rejection of transplanted organs; and certain antibiotics.

Dr Bailey said patients should consult their doctor or pharmacist before taking any medications with grapefruit juice or other fruits and juices.