By EMMA HAMMETT FOR THE HIPPOCRATIC POST
Have you ever seen the instruction on your medication ‘do not take this medicine with grapefruit juice’ and wondered why? You’re not alone.
At least 53 medications can be made less effective by the citrus fruit and people taking certain drugs should take extra care when deciding whether to eat it.
Grapefruit contains a compound which interferes with an enzyme in the small intestine, which is responsible for breaking down nearly half of all medicines.
As a result, the fruit can make medicines too strong or not strong enough by affecting how well your body absorbs them.
Nurse and first aid trainer Emma Hammett, of First Aid For Life, explains in a piece for the Hippocratic Post how grapefruit could affect your medicines, and when to take extra care.
