2023-12-28 16:06:32
Can this delicious fruit really change the effect of the pill?
© Getty Images/Martin Barraud
Anyone who uses the contraceptive pill knows the facts and risks associated with taking it. But very few people know that a popular fruit can be responsible for the pill not working. This delicious fruit can make birth control pills ineffective:
Actually, the fruit brings many positive characteristics with, which is why it is so popular: the grapefruit is rich in Vitamins, minerals and fiber, thereby supporting immune function, promoting digestion and influencing metabolism. The antioxidants found in grapefruit can help reduce cell damage caused by free radicals.
But despite all its good properties, grapefruit can cause interactions with medications such as birth control pills. Researchers discovered this back in the 1990s. The reason: The pill – like other medications – is broken down in the liver by the enzyme CYP3A4. Grapefruit contains the bitter substance naringi, which is converted into naringenium following being broken down in the stomach. This flavonoid can affect liver enzymes by inhibiting the activity of CYP3A4.
This impairs the metabolism of drugs that are normally broken down by this enzyme. This results in more drug remaining in the blood, and this higher concentration may increase side effects. If the level of the active ingredient in the contraceptive pill increases in the blood, this can lead to increased breast tenderness and an increased risk of thrombosis.
Another study from 1996 led researchers to suspect that grapefruit inhibits the breakdown of estrogen. However, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that grapefruit actually limits the contraceptive safety of the pill. Nevertheless, some studies recommend avoiding grapefruit juice to be on the safe side.
If you use the pill, you don’t have to give up grapefruit completely. But make sure that there are four hours between eating grapefruit and taking the pill.
Appropriate Reading regarding nutrition and the cycle you can find it here:
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