Comments On: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One by Jen Graves http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/11/27/tuesday-morning-news-stop-consuming-grapefruit-while-taking-drugs-for-one Comments On: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One by Jen Graves en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by More, I Say!]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:46:51 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>
Prospective study of the association between grapefruit intake and risk of breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

TLDR: No connection between grapefruit, birth control, and breast cancer found.

Abstract
Grapefruit inhibits cytochrome P450 3A4 and may affect estrogen metabolism. In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), we examined the relationships of grapefruit intake with risk of breast cancer and with serum sex hormone levels. 114,504 women with information on dietary intake of grapefruit and on reproductive and lifestyle risk factors were followed for a median 9.5 years and 3,747 incident breast cancers were identified. Fifty-nine percent of women reported eating grapefruit, 4% ate > or = 60 g/day. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for breast cancer according to grapefruit intake, adjusting for study centre, reproductive factors, body mass index, energy intake, and alcohol intake. Grapefruit intake was not related to the risk of breast cancer: compared with women who ate no grapefruit, women with the highest intake of > or =60 g/day had a HR of 0.93 (95% CI 0.77-1.13), p for linear trend = 0.5. There was no relationship between grapefruit intake and breast cancer risk among premenopausal women, all postmenopausal women, or postmenopausal women categorized by hormone replacement therapy use (all p>0.05). There was no association between grapefruit intake and estradiol or estrone among postmenopausal women. In this study, we found no evidence of an association between grapefruit intake and risk of breast cancer.
Posted by pharmswede]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:28:05 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by Sandiai]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:17:52 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by katallred]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:11:11 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by Sandiai]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:08:39 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by MacCrocodile]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:01:10 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>

Posted by Some Old Nobodaddy Logged In]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:46:10 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by Sandiai]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:41:30 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by Sandiai]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:34:24 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>
enhance your LDS/mushroom experience

Mormons do magic mushrooms? Who knew?

(Yes, I understand that it was a typo.)
Posted by N in Seattle]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:08:07 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by More, I Say!]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:57:58 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by MacCrocodile]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:38:44 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>
I remember when we were designing the Group Health software. Most medical insurance pharmacies only went out to two or three interactions, extending it as far as we did was a major pain.

Here's a hint: If it says "take on an empty stomach" that means nothing in it, other than water.
Posted by Will in Seattle]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:23:37 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>
For the record, what actually happens with the interaction is that the grapefruit (seville orange, etc.) competes for a metabolic pathway in the liver that the drug needs to use to be metabolized. This increases the half-life of the drug in the body, often significantly. If you consume grapefruit (or the drug) only infrequently, it's not as much of a problem as if you have it every day. What happens with frequent consumption of grapefruit is that the pathway remains blocked and the drug can quickly build up in the bloodstream to toxic levels if you're taking periodic doses of it.

This only happens with drugs that use that one particular enzymatic pathway (Cytochrome P450/CYP3A4) in the liver. Unfortunately, there are quite a few that do.

Unless you read the professional package insert for each drug you're prescribed to make sure it's not using that pathway to be metabolized, yeah, avoid grapefruit. (And Seville oranges, and pomelos.)
Posted by Brooklyn Reader]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:18:34 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by spaceapple]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:05:43 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>
"The problem is caused by an active ingredient in some citrus fruits, including grapefruit, limes and pomelos. Even the Seville oranges used in marmalades can trigger it. The fruits produce organic chemical compounds called furanocoumarins, which interfere with a human digestive enzyme."

I don't buy grapefruit nor grapefruit juice. But I was served some a short while back. I attended a party where a punch made of grapefruit juice, ice cream, and sparkling water was served.
Posted by Dr.Duck]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:58:01 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>
Hmmm, fexofenadine—that would be Allegra, legally clearing airways since 1996.

Happy breathing!
Posted by rob!]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:42:16 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by long-time reader]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:41:48 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by originalcinner]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:01:04 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by Delishuss]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:54:47 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by Pope Peabrain]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:42:45 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by mikethehammer]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:41:27 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]>
For those who don't know, tadalafil which is on the list, is available under the brand name Cialis. At 62 taking a boner pill may not be critically necessary but it greatly improves the quality of my sex life.
Posted by Dr.Duck]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:40:37 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by care bear]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:40:22 -0800 The Stranger <![CDATA[Re: Tuesday Morning News: Stop Consuming Grapefruit While Taking Drugs, for One]]> Posted by cliche]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:23:32 -0800 The Stranger