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Article: Grapefruit juice may increase medication potency.
- Article from:
- Nutrition Health Review
- Article date:
- January 1, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Vegetus Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Most of us don't pay much attention to what we drink when we take our medications, but doctors at the University of Michigan Medical Center (U-M) suggest that perhaps we should.
The U-M is leading a race to determine why normal, everyday grapefruit juice dramatically increases the body's ability to absorb some commonly prescribed medications, including certain blood pressure drugs.
"For many medications that are taken orally in pill form, the majority of the-drug is not absorbed from the digestive tract but instead passes out of the body and is, in effect, wasted," said Paul B. Watkins, M.D., director of the U-M General Clinical Research Center. "With some ...