Carcinogenic birth control pills combined with grapefruit dangerous to health

Birth control pills and grapefruits: a dangerous combination!
Grapefruits are among the healthiest fruits of all. Nevertheless, some people should withhold the fruit with the bittersweet taste. Grapefruit can be dangerous in conjunction with birth control pills.

Delicious bittersweet fruit
Grapefruit is one of the healthiest fruits in the world. They are low in calories and true vitamin C bombs. Studies have shown that the juice from the bittersweet fruit can help reduce blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes. Furthermore, the bitter substances of grapefruit stimulate the digestion, especially the burning of fat. The fruit is therefore used by some weaners as a natural slimming agent. But the fruit is not completely harmless. Especially women who take birth control pills should be careful.

It is better not to take the tablets with fruit juice
It has long been known that some tablets should not be taken with milk or fruit juice, since this threatens the loss of the drug or side effects. If you need to swallow pills with a little liquid, it is best to use water. A fruit juice that is often warned about taking medications is grapefruit. This is due to the ingredient naringenin, which is also contained in other citrus fruits. In some countries, even the leaflets of affected drugs are warned against the combination with grapefruit.

Ingredient may inhibit drug action
The bitter substance naringin, which is responsible for the typical taste of grapefruit, is transformed into naringenin after digestion in the stomach. This flavonoid can affect the effect of drugs because it has an inhibitory effect on the degrading enzymes. The effect of the drugs is thereby enhanced. These include heart, cancer and asthma remedies, as well as potency drugs and antidepressants. Already through a glass (200 milliliters), this reaction can be triggered.

Beware of the combination pill and grapefruit
The efficacy of birth control pills, however, is not reduced by the substance because the degrading enzyme is inhibited. As a result, the level of the drug estradiol (drug birth control pills) is increased in the blood. There may be an increase in side effects such as breast tenderness. With an increased estradiol concentration, health experts are also increasing the likelihood of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. And pills with estradiol increase the risk of thrombosis, with more modern preparations hold a relatively higher risk. (Ad)