Hold The Grapefruit

by: AndreaDow
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Word Count: 320

Wednesday, October 3rd

More warnings for our Power Pilates blog readers this week! I cannot remember the last time that I heard fruit involved with a health warning- this must be a first! If you are a woman and a fan of grapefruit, the following information is important to read, especially with October being breast cancer awareness month. Researchers are warning us that too much grapefruit could actually increase our risk of breast cancer.

A contributor for the Nutrition Action Healthletter reports that a study of 50,000 postmenopausal women averaging at least 1/2 grapefruit every other day had a 30% higher risk of getting breast cancer compared to those eating no grapefruit. Researchers from this study are not sure of the effects of grapefruit juice since the study questionnaire participants used did not clearly separate grapefruit juice from orange juice.

How is it possible for grapefruit to increase breast cancer risk? Well it seems that grapefruit can boost your risk of cancer by increasing the amount of estrogen in the blood. You may have heard the warning to avoid grapefruit juice if you are taking certain medications. The reason for this warning is that researches found grapefruit juice to inhibit a key enzyme in the liver and small intestine (cytochrome P450 3A4) which is responsible for drug metabolization. This same enzyme that prevents proper drug metabolism also inhibits a woman's ability to metabolize her own estrogen. Too much estrogen is not a good thing for our bodies.

Until more research is done on grapefruit and its affects on breast cancer, limit your consumption of 1/2 grapefruit to once or twice a week. Remember that the whole fruit is always recommended over the juice because the fruit contains more fiber, fewer calories and less sugar. Think pink this month and support breast cancer awareness and research, too!

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