Does grapefruit juice help absorption of iodine?

[Guest guest]

After about a month on lugols (about 50mg per day) I developed a craving for grapefruit juice. I looked around the internet to see if there was some known interaction between grapefruit juice and iodine.It looks to me like grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of the intestinal enzyme, CYP34A. This enzyme normally metabolizes some of what we consume and keeps it from being absorbed. So, if I am understanding this correctly, drinking grapefruit juice at the same time I take lugols should increase the absorption of iodine.Here is what I read on one web site in relation to thyroid medication:http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/What-causes-a-change-in-thyroid-hormone-levels/show/15511Grapefruit or juice/vitamin C, calcium foods/drinks or calcium

fortified products, and supplements, should never be eaten or consummed

within 3 hours of taking thyroid medication. It can magnify the dose

many times over.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice do interact with other

medications. The scientists believe the contents of the juice or fruit

inhibit enzymes in the small intestine that help to break down so many

of the drugs we take. If those enzymes aren't available to break down

the drug and render it inactive, that means more of the drug makes its

way in to the bloodstream. Concentrations in the body are therefore

higher.

"Doctors prescribe medications assuming this specific metabolic

process is going to take place "Taking grapefruit juice, for example,

can circumvent this situation so that you get more drug absorbed than

you usually would. So 10 mg of a medication could act more like 20 to

40 mg of the drug."Any opinions on this?

[Guest guest]

I eat half a grapefruit as part of my breakfast every day and take my Erfa about

30 minutes later. I haven't noticed anything different from the time when I

didn't eat grapefruit.

>

> After about a month on lugols (about 50mg per day) I developed a craving

> for grapefruit juice. I looked around the internet to see if there was

> some known interaction between grapefruit juice and iodine.

>

> It looks to me like grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of the intestinal

> enzyme, CYP34A. This enzyme normally metabolizes some of what we

> consume and keeps it from being absorbed. So, if I am understanding

> this correctly, drinking grapefruit juice at the same time I take lugols

> should increase the absorption of iodine.

>

> Here is what I read on one web site in relation to thyroid medication:

> http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/What-causes-a-change-in-t\

> hyroid-hormone-levels/show/15511

>

> Grapefruit or juice/vitamin C, calcium foods/drinks or calcium fortified

> products, and supplements, should never be eaten or consummed within 3

> hours of taking thyroid medication. It can magnify the dose many times

> over.

> Grapefruit and grapefruit juice do interact with other medications. The

> scientists believe the contents of the juice or fruit inhibit enzymes in

> the small intestine that help to break down so many of the drugs we

> take. If those enzymes aren't available to break down the drug and

> render it inactive, that means more of the drug makes its way in to the

> bloodstream. Concentrations in the body are therefore higher.

> " Doctors prescribe medications assuming this specific metabolic process

> is going to take place " Taking grapefruit juice, for example, can

> circumvent this situation so that you get more drug absorbed than you

> usually would. So 10 mg of a medication could act more like 20 to 40 mg

> of the drug. "

>

> Any opinions on this?

>

[Guest guest]

Craving. Sounds like someone is pregnant or has yeast overgrowth in the

intestines. For those who don't know, changes in the intestines govern the

taste buds. Ask anyone who has had gastric bypass. All of their tastes/food

desires/cravings go out the window for many months until everything goes to the

new " normal " which may or may not be what it was before the gastric bypass. Why

do some dogs crave or eat stools? It is not normal but if you give iodine, it

seems to change and they no longer have the craving to eat the stools (unless

they are just hungry and want to eat more of whatever). As for absorbing

iodine, it works best if you take it with a little acid like ACV. Grapefruit

has been known for a long time to inhibit absorbing many things, especially

drugs. Seems the list of interactions is forever growing. Many things in

multi-vitamins inhibit each other. Interesting that many people still shovel

them down thinking they are getting everything listed on the contents. As

stated in the below message, grapefruit can cause better digestion of some

drugs. You really don't know what it is going to do until you try it and

monitor yourself for symptoms.

>

> After about a month on lugols (about 50mg per day) I developed a craving

> for grapefruit juice. I looked around the internet to see if there was

> some known interaction between grapefruit juice and iodine.

>

> It looks to me like grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of the intestinal

> enzyme, CYP34A. This enzyme normally metabolizes some of what we

> consume and keeps it from being absorbed. So, if I am understanding

> this correctly, drinking grapefruit juice at the same time I take lugols

> should increase the absorption of iodine.

>

> Here is what I read on one web site in relation to thyroid medication:

> http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/What-causes-a-change-in-t\

> hyroid-hormone-levels/show/15511

>

> Grapefruit or juice/vitamin C, calcium foods/drinks or calcium fortified

> products, and supplements, should never be eaten or consummed within 3

> hours of taking thyroid medication. It can magnify the dose many times

> over.

> Grapefruit and grapefruit juice do interact with other medications. The

> scientists believe the contents of the juice or fruit inhibit enzymes in

> the small intestine that help to break down so many of the drugs we

> take. If those enzymes aren't available to break down the drug and

> render it inactive, that means more of the drug makes its way in to the

> bloodstream. Concentrations in the body are therefore higher.

> " Doctors prescribe medications assuming this specific metabolic process

> is going to take place " Taking grapefruit juice, for example, can

> circumvent this situation so that you get more drug absorbed than you

> usually would. So 10 mg of a medication could act more like 20 to 40 mg

> of the drug. "

>

> Any opinions on this?

>

[Guest guest]

That is extremely interesting. I have told my wife on numerous occasions since

we started on iodine, that food is tasting so much better to me, but she thought

it was my imagination. Also she has had to stop using some commercial

seasonings that now make things taste too salty to me, even though they claim to

be salt free. As far as the yeast overgrowth, is it possible that 50mg of

lugols a day over several months maybe have cleared up a previous yeast

overgrowth with the result of changing food taste?

> >

> > After about a month on lugols (about 50mg per day) I developed a craving

> > for grapefruit juice. I looked around the internet to see if there was

> > some known interaction between grapefruit juice and iodine.

> >

> > It looks to me like grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of the intestinal

> > enzyme, CYP34A. This enzyme normally metabolizes some of what we

> > consume and keeps it from being absorbed. So, if I am understanding

> > this correctly, drinking grapefruit juice at the same time I take lugols

> > should increase the absorption of iodine.

> >

> > Here is what I read on one web site in relation to thyroid medication:

> > http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/What-causes-a-change-in-t\

> > hyroid-hormone-levels/show/15511

> >

> > Grapefruit or juice/vitamin C, calcium foods/drinks or calcium fortified

> > products, and supplements, should never be eaten or consummed within 3

> > hours of taking thyroid medication. It can magnify the dose many times

> > over.

> > Grapefruit and grapefruit juice do interact with other medications. The

> > scientists believe the contents of the juice or fruit inhibit enzymes in

> > the small intestine that help to break down so many of the drugs we

> > take. If those enzymes aren't available to break down the drug and

> > render it inactive, that means more of the drug makes its way in to the

> > bloodstream. Concentrations in the body are therefore higher.

> > " Doctors prescribe medications assuming this specific metabolic process

> > is going to take place " Taking grapefruit juice, for example, can

> > circumvent this situation so that you get more drug absorbed than you

> > usually would. So 10 mg of a medication could act more like 20 to 40 mg

> > of the drug. "

> >

> > Any opinions on this?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Based on my own experience, I am doubtful that grapefruit increases the

absorption of iodine. I've been supplementing with iodine for about 18

months now. Five months in, I had a loading test and got results

showing lousy absorption rate (was taking 63 mg/day). I added ATP

cofactors to my regimen, became more compliant with taking the entire

protocol of vit c, selenium, magnesium, etc. I was still tired all the

time a month later and in July I increased iodoral to 100 mg/day.

Grapefruit comes into season around Christmas where I live and some

neighbors generously share their crop with me. I was consuming 1-2

grapefruits per day from mid December to end of January. I took my

second loading test at that time, and it was practically identical to

the first test, despite all the changes I'd made. I also have high

bromide levels, which have only been tested once, so who knows if it's

up or down. I think I sure could benefit from something that would

increase my iodine absorption, and I didn't have any noticeable changes

in how I felt during that time either. ...didn't lose any weight

either, which is another attribute associated with grapefruit.

Jana

On 6/19/2010 4:18 AM, nlog10 wrote:

After about a month on lugols (about 50mg per day) I

developed a craving for grapefruit juice. I looked around the internet

to see if there was some known interaction between grapefruit juice and

iodine.

It looks to me like grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of the intestinal

enzyme, CYP34A. This enzyme normally metabolizes some of what we

consume and keeps it from being absorbed. So, if I am understanding

this correctly, drinking grapefruit juice at the same time I take

lugols should increase the absorption of iodine.

Here is what I read on one web site in relation to thyroid medication:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/What-causes-a-change-in-thyroid-hormone-levels/show/15511

Grapefruit or juice/vitamin C, calcium foods/drinks or

calcium

fortified products, and supplements, should never be eaten or consummed

within 3 hours of taking thyroid medication. It can magnify the dose

many times over.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice do interact with other

medications. The scientists believe the contents of the juice or fruit

inhibit enzymes in the small intestine that help to break down so many

of the drugs we take. If those enzymes aren't available to break down

the drug and render it inactive, that means more of the drug makes its

way in to the bloodstream. Concentrations in the body are therefore

higher.

"Doctors prescribe medications assuming this specific metabolic

process is going to take place "Taking grapefruit juice, for example,

can circumvent this situation so that you get more drug absorbed than

you usually would. So 10 mg of a medication could act more like 20 to

40 mg of the drug."

Any opinions on this?