{"id":963786,"date":"2026-05-16T12:19:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T12:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/963786\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T12:19:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T12:19:19","slug":"eating-this-while-taking-statins-could-be-toxic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/963786\/","title":{"rendered":"Eating this while taking statins could be ‘toxic’"},"content":{"rendered":"

People are being warned about how this food can interact with statins\"Doctor<\/p>\n

People who take statins are being warned(Image: Morsa Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Millions of people could be forced to permanently cut a specific food from their diets to avoid serious heart complications, according to medical experts. Failing to do so could result in a potentially “toxic” reaction developing within the body.<\/p>\n

Statins, a widely prescribed medication commonly given to those with high cholesterol levels, are taken by approximately seven to eight million people across the UK, according to the British Heart Foundation. These once-daily tablets work by reducing cholesterol production and removing LDL, commonly referred to as ‘bad cholesterol’, from the bloodstream.<\/p>\n

Keeping this ‘silent killer’ in check is crucial, as raised cholesterol typically shows no warning signs until it has reached a considerably advanced stage. Should your blood vessels become blocked, this significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.<\/p>\n

Statins work by restricting the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver while helping it to remove existing cholesterol from the blood. They also help to stabilise plaque, a waxy substance that can accumulate within arterial walls, and can reduce inflammation throughout the arteries.<\/p>\n

The NHS<\/a> says that the vast majority of people taking statins will likely need to continue doing so for the rest of their lives. Should the treatment be stopped for any reason, cholesterol levels may gradually begin to rise once more.<\/p>\n

Patients taking statins must be aware that certain foods and drinks are not suitable to consume alongside their medication. One surprising item that is frequently overlooked is grapefruit, which should be avoided during statin therapy, as reported by Bristol Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Experts at Harvard Health Medical School have explained why this particular citrus fruit, along with its juice, should be eliminated from your diet when taking certain medicines. The chemical reaction between specific drugs and the fruit can cause problems, sometimes leading to “toxic” outcomes.<\/p>\n

Statins are broken down in the intestines by an enzyme known as CYP3A before entering the bloodstream, a process that is disrupted after consuming grapefruit. Grapefruit juice contains furanocoumarins, substances that inhibit CYP3A, leading to greater drug absorption and potentially making it “toxic in some cases”.<\/p>\n

That said, grapefruit does not significantly affect all statin treatments, meaning complete avoidance is not always necessary. A doctor may suggest switching from those medications most severely impacted, including atorvastatin, lovastatin and simvastatin.<\/p>\n

Medical guidance may range from total avoidance of grapefruit to consuming it in moderation. It is vital that patients do not experiment independently or adjust their treatment without seeking advice from a qualified medical professional.<\/p>\n

The precise quantity of grapefruit that may provoke an adverse reaction is not yet fully understood. For some people, just one glass of grapefruit juice could lead to complications, while others may require larger amounts of the fruit or its juice before encountering problems.<\/p>\n

However, those taking statins can generally enjoy oranges and other citrus fruits without worry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People are being warned about how this food can interact with statins People who take statins are being…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":963787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[105,622,211,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-963786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthy-eating","10":"tag-nhs","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116584225035390501","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/963787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=963786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=963786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}