Statins and grapefruit

The lowering of the cholesterol can be achieved with the help of statins, but they should not be taken along with grapefruits. Some harmful effects on the human body can occur if they are consumed together. As we have mentioned, the statins are very efficient in reducing the levels of cholesterol and this is the effect produced by the variation of enzymes located in the human body, which breaks down statins. The connection between the grapefruit and statins will be discussed in detail in the following text.

Statins and interaction with the grapefruit juice

The plasma cholesterol in the body can be reduced by the medicines called statins, which inhibit the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme and this reduces the levels of cholesterol. They also affect the LDL and HDL cholesterol in the body. Other problems related to the cholesterol can be treated with the help of this medicine.

Bergamottin is a chemical found in the grapefruit and it is known for its interaction with the P-glycoprotein and P-450 cytochrome. These enzymes transport and break down certain chemicals. Grapefruit, as we can see, interacts with these two enzymes. But the problem in the human body can occur when we take statins and consume grapefruit at the same time. This is due to the chemicals present in the grapefruit, which prevent the statins from being broken down. This creates the statins build up in the system, which can damage the liver or kidneys.

Recommendations

There are several nutrients in the grapefruit, such as potassium, lycopene and vitamin C and other. But the level of the drug in the human system may be a problem, which can be created when enzymes interact with the grapefruit. We will see how this happens in the following lines, so that the future problems may be avoided. The statins in the blood stream will rise in number if we consume grapefruit juice. Taking statins in the evening, after we have already taken grapefruit juice in the morning, may cause some problems in the human body. Try to avoid the interaction between grapefruit and statins for three days, since this is the time needed for the grapefruit to lose all traces in the body. The level of statins can be increased even with one slice of grapefruit. There are some statins that interact with the grapefruit, like Mevacor, Advicor Lipitor, Caduet Simcor and Altoprev, while some do not interact, like Lescol XL, Lescol Crestor and Pravachol. The statins we have stated as not affected by grapefruit have this property due to the presence of different enzymes, which are not affected by the grapefruit. You can also use niacin, which is a vitamin that does not interact with statins.