Just to pick up on this Health Canada has today issued an advisory warning
people against taking all medications unless they have cleared possible drug
interactions with their doctor or druggist. Apparently grapefruit juice can
also diminish the effects of some medications.

-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Creel [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 4:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: PALEOFOOD Digest - Grapefruit and drugs


Hi Kelly,


  You said:

<<Grapefruit contains a substance (naringin I believe) that prolongs and
intensifies the action of some other drugs.  >>


  Grapefruit potentiates drugs metabolized by the CYP450 2D6 isozyme
by inducing the 2D6 isozyme, causing a more rapid assimilation of
 these drugs.  Most commonly, these are the class of drugs called
SSRI antidepressants.

  The P450 enzyme system is also responsible for metabolizing many
foods.  If a person is genetically inclined to have less of a particular
P450 enzyme, then foods that are metabolized by the partcular enzyme
would not serve this person well.

   This barely and inadequately touches on the topc of the P450 enzymes

Regards,
Catherine