With Florida's citrus growers dealing with a blight that could destroy significant parts of their industry, supply side problems are bad. But reports about the effects that consuming grapefruit could have on some medications has made for some demand-side problems as well, even though growers feel the effects of combining grapefruit with medications have been blow out of proportion.
The effects of taking statins, medications that help control cholesterol levels, along with grapefruit have been reported upon extensively. When ingested at or around the same time, grapefruit could make for unwanted interactions that change the way the drugs are broken down. This could have serious effects for some patients on certain medications, and people on medications that think they could be affected should make sure they are taking the right drugs in the right way. But not all medications behave the same way when taken with grapefruit, though many consumers are opting to steer clear of the fruit altogether for fear of compromising their health.
“A lot of the information in the press with regard to drug interactions with statins makes people reticent about how they consume grapefruit,” said David Brocksmith of Seald Sweet International. “But it's just a timing issue.” He pointed out that the effects of grapefruit on certain medications have been shown when grapefruit is ingested within a few hours of taking the prescribed drugs. If one avoids grapefruit for a certain amount of time before and after taking the drugs, there don't appear to be any unwanted interactions.
“People on medication are very cautious,” he pointed out. “So this absolutely has had an effect on demand for grapefruit and grapefruit juice.” Citrus greening has cut down on production, and as less fruit makes its way to consumers, the price those consumers pay for that fruit goes up. That's made for a situation where demand is eroded both by worries of the fruit's interaction with drugs and higher prices.
“Less grapefruit makes for a higher price point on the market,” Explained Brocksmith. “Price-sensitive shoppers will then look for a different value.”
For more information:
David Brocksmith
Seald Sweet International
+1 772 569 2244