Could grapefruit be fatal?

Eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day is a nice, simple way to be healthy and avoid becoming a burden to the NHS.
You'll not get too many arguments on that - BUT not all fruit is created equal!

Grapefruit - is a lovely tangy breakfast treat we all know and love, and it is also one with a fabulous track record for improving health, backed by data from many trials.

In one of the most recent studies conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Massachusetts General Hospital, it was discovered that compounds within the fruit actively encourage the liver to break down fats and carbohydrates.

This basically means that the body gets all the benefits of a low carbohydrate diet......... without actually having to diet.

The super yellow fruit has long been associated with a range of health benefits which include:

High levels of vitamin C
Just half a grapefruit contains 80% of your daily needs.

Weight loss
Low in sodium and high in fat burning enzymes, the grapefruit will not only burn fat, but also help flush out excess water.

Lowers cholesterol
Studies have shown that cholesterol can be reduced by around 15% by including a portion of grapefruit in your daily diet.

Helps fight inflammation
A flavonoid present in the juice called Naringenin helps cell DNA to repair, and has been found to be a particularly effective anti-inflammatory in some patients.

Prevents kidney stones
The high acidity of the juice maintains urinary pH levels so that stones are broken down before they can form.

Puts a spring in your step
Grapefruit is excellent at jump starting your metabolism, particularly when eaten within 2 hours of waking up. A high water content combined with the acids and enzymes in the juice causes an increase in metabolic activity.

So far so good - but what our friends at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Massachusetts General Hospital didn't highlight - is that grapefruit is not a good thing in everyone.
In fact, it could be FATAL.

How could grapefruit be fatal?

Hang on!
Before you rush out to bin your breakfast, let me explain:

Basically, the problem is the drug Statins.

GP's prescribe Statins in vast quantities - with the aim of lowering cholesterol levels in the blood.
Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol that your cells make, forcing them to instead gather cholesterol from your blood stream, and thereby reducing your blood cholesterol level – but there is a growing body of evidence that statins do more HARM than good, which has been commented on many times before in the media.

Statins are broken down in our bodies by enzymes; unfortunately grapefruit juice blocks this activity and allows statin levels to rise, to potentially dangerous levels.

When a constituent of the juice, Bergamottin, interacts with the enzymes in our body it stops them working - leading to kidney and liver failure as the drugs build up in system.

By being unaware of this potentially lethal cocktail, statin patients could be triggering some of the serious side effects being reported and the situation has not been helped by some recorded comments from manufacturers such as;
"What's the problem?" It isn't the drugs; it's the people on them eating grapefruit".

This is the kind of flawed logic that makes many people, including me, see red.

Surely, the problem is with the toxicity of the drug, not the fact that someone chooses to drink a glass of juice.

It begs the question, how can we allow ourselves to blame a wholesome, honest product of nature rather than a synthetic compound?

We need to get our priorities right, and not allow the pharmaceutical industry to set the agenda.


AK Smith is a freelance writer and author.
This article will have answered some of your questions, select another category for further pain relief information.
For FREE information on a broad range of topics visit Can-I.co.uk and select your required category.

Remember; always consult your doctor before trying a new therapy.

DISCLAIMER:
This blog is NOT a medical advice service – always consult your doctor for specific advice.
The information in this blog is for informational purposes only and is in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of your doctor.
If you have symptoms or feel ill please see your doctor.