Grapefruit is a citrus fruit high in vitamin C so why it should be avoided?
Controversial?
Not at all.
It’s a well known fact that certain foods may interact with chemotherapy medicines.
And grapefruit is one of them.
It can prevent chemo drugs, and at least 85 other drugs, from working as designed.
How come?
Drugs are broken down in the body by a variety of enzymes.
Grapefruit is rich in chemical compounds called furanocoumarins that may block CYP3A3 enzyme that helps the body break down drugs.
As a result, drugs are not metabolised and are less effective or may build up in the blood and become toxic.
