ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- New York nursing researchers say grapefruit juice can be deadly for people on certain medications, like atorvastatin, also known as Lipitor.
Amy Karch of the School of Nursing at the University of Rochester Medical Center wrote in the December issue of the American Journal of Nursing that grapefruit juice is metabolized by cytochrome P-450 3A4, the same enzyme in the liver that breaks down many drugs.
Karch says when the body is "overloaded," the grapefruit juice can "swamp" the system, keeping the liver busy and blocking it from breaking down drugs and other substances.
Drugs that use the same pathway -- and interact with grapefruit juice -- target some of the most common health problems, like high cholesterol, depression, high blood pressure, cancer, depression, pain, impotence and allergies, she wrote.
