Some fruit juices can affect efficacy of drugs, study shows

WASHINGTON Some kinds of juices may inhibit the body’s absorption of some drugs, according to a study by Canadian researchers released Tuesday.

The study showed that grapefruit, orange and apple juices can reduce the efficacy of drugs for treating cancer, heart disease, infections and organ-transplant rejections.

The researchers enlisted healthy volunteers and gave them the antihistamine fexofenadine, as well as a glass of grapefruit juice and a glass of water with a substance that makes grapefruit juice taste bitter or plain water. Subjects who drank the juice absorbed half the amount of fexofenadine that subjects who received water did.

The results of the study were presented at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.