Why should people with hypertension avoid eating red grapefruit?
Dec 02, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Tian Hongbo
Introduction
Hypertensive patients need to take antihypertensive medications as prescribed by their doctors to maintain blood pressure within the normal range and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. When taking antihypertensive drugs, patients should avoid consuming grapefruit, because certain substances in grapefruit can interact chemically with these medications, significantly increasing their blood concentration. This may lead to excessively low blood pressure and slowed heart rate, and in severe cases, could result in shock.
Hypertensive patients should avoid eating red grapefruit, primarily to prevent increased drug concentration that could lead to low blood pressure.
Hypertension is generally diagnosed when, without taking antihypertensive medications, a person has three separate blood pressure measurements taken on different days showing systolic blood pressure ≥130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg. After diagnosis, patients must follow medical advice and take prescribed antihypertensive medications to maintain blood pressure within the normal range and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. During treatment with antihypertensive drugs, patients should avoid consuming red grapefruit because certain substances in red grapefruit can interact chemically with these medications, significantly increasing their blood concentration. This may result in abnormally low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, and in severe cases, even shock.
In daily life, hypertensive patients should also engage in appropriate physical exercise, maintain body weight within a healthy range, quit smoking and drinking alcohol, properly manage stress, maintain emotional balance, and adhere to a low-salt, low-fat diet, all of which help stabilize blood pressure.
