Housewives all know that grapefruit is a fruit with high nutritional value, rich in vitamin C, fiber and many antioxidants, so they often prepare grapefruit for family members to eat for dessert.
However, in some cases, eating grapefruit can be counterproductive, especially when the body has just consumed things such as beer or cigarette smoke.
After drinking beer or smoking, the active ingredients in grapefruit can interact with these substances, leading to negative consequences for the liver, cardiovascular system and digestive system.
First, beer is an alcoholic beverage, when entering the body, it will be metabolized mainly in the liver. Alcohol stimulates the liver to work hard to break down Pethanol into acetaldehyde - a poison for liver cells.
Meanwhile, grapefruit contains furanocoumarin, which can inhibit an enzyme in the liver - the enzyme responsible for metabolizing many toxins and drugs. When this enzyme is inhibited, the process of alcohol breakdown slows down, causing acetaldehyde to accumulate more, causing damage to the liver, increasing the risk of hepatitis, high liver enzymes, and even chronic liver damage.
Second, cigarettes contain a lot of nicotine and other toxic substances. Nicotine constricts blood vessels, increasing blood pressure and burdening the heart. When you eat grapefruit after smoking, furanocoumarin in grapefruit slows down the process of eliminating nicotine and toxic substances in cigarettes, causing them to stay longer in the blood. This increases the negative effects on the cardiovascular system, easily leading to arrhythmia, dizziness, nausea or even mild poisoning.
The combination of alcohol, nicotine and organic acids in grapefruit can irritate the stomach, leading to heartburn, burning pain or inflammation of the stomach lining in people with weak digestive systems.
Therefore, after drinking beer or smoking, the body needs time to eliminate toxins. Eating grapefruit at that time not only does not detoxify but can also increase the metabolic burden.
Grapefruit is a good fruit but needs to be used at the right time. It is best to eat grapefruit at least 46 hours before drinking or smoking to protect the liver and cardiovascular system, while maximizing the nutritional benefits of this fruit.
