Sweeter Fruit and Fewer Worries

People who love grapefruit may soon have a reason to cheer. That’s because Florida researchers have bred a hybrid grapefruit that appears to be less likely to interact with medications. This sweeter and juicier fruit has much lower levels of the bitter compounds called furanocoumarins that are responsible for grapefruit-drug interactions.
If tests pan out and growers are successful, grapefruit lovers may not need to worry about potentially dangerous drug interactions. The new hybrid grapefruit is not yet available and it may be a year or two before it can be found in stores.
Until then, it makes sense for people to pay attention to the medications that could react with grapefruit. In most cases, when grapefruit inhibits the intestinal enzyme called CYP3A4, the body is less able to metabolize the drug and blood levels may climb. The strength of this interaction varies both with the medication–some are more completely processed by CYP3A4, while others are also managed through different pathways–and with the individual. Some of us are quite susceptible to this interaction, while others are more resistant. You can learn more from our inexpensive Guide to Grapefruit Interactions.