Marmalade drifting, or, at least, its discussion thread ...

[gareth evans]

Limes, grapefruit and their derived products should be avoided by anybody who takes statins.

I have it on good authority, a cousin who is / was a pharmacist in a hospital, that some substance in those citrus fruits prevents the body from breaking down the Statins, giving rise to an excess in the body.

This may account for some takers of Statins complaining of bodily pains so that a cessation of consuming those citrus fruits rather than a cessation of ingesting statins might be the right solution.

HTH

[Robin]

It might help if you gave the name of your cousin and when s/he last checked the authorities on statins. In the meantime I prefer the authority of the published NHS guidance for patients which recognises that not all statins are the same. Eg:

"Statins are medicines that lower your cholesterol. Grapefruit or grapefruit juice affects some statins.

Do not drink grapefruit juice if you're taking simvastatin. Grapefruit juice increases the level of simvastatin in your blood and makes side effects more likely.

Atorvastatin interacts with grapefruit juice if you drink large quantities (more than 1.2 litres daily), but an occasional glass is thought to be safe.

Currently, healthcare professionals advise it is safe to drink grapefruit juice and eat grapefruit if you're taking other types of statins."

[Martin Brown]

Grapefruit is a well known problem for anyone taking certain drugs because it modifies the uptake rate significantly. AFAIK it is mainly grapefruit and not any other common citrus fruit that does it:

Capable of causing a toxic dose in some instances (and not just with statins - always read the small print on any new medication).

About 50% of the common problems with statins come from the nocebo effect which is the evil twin of the placebo effect. Basically tell people they are on statins (but given a dummy pill to take) and they experience the side effects that they think that statins cause.

[polygonum_on_google]

As someone offered statins despite extremely low cholesterol, I am very aware that there are poor management of their being prescribed. Further, even NHS documentation says that people who are hypothyroid should have that issue addressed before being offered statins. The side effects of taking statins while hypothyroid include rhabdomyolysis.

I'm afraid I was not convinced by the study reported in the Guardian.

Bitter oranges, such as Seville, also interact with some medicines similarly, but not identically, to grapefruit.

[Martin Brown]

As someone offered statins despite extremely low cholesterol, I am very aware that there are poor management of their being prescribed. Further, even NHS documentation says that people who are hypothyroid should have that issue addressed before being offered statins. The side effects of taking statins while hypothyroid include rhabdomyolysis.

It is a particular component of grapefruit and some of the other citrus fruit - probably most of the ones that actually taste bitter.

[GB]

Thanks. I take Atorvastatin, and I steer clear of grapefruit. I'd never heard of limes as being a problem.

[Dave Plowman (News]

I recently went on meds for blood pressure. Which do seem to work.

On ordering a repeat prescription online, I was surprised to find it included a couple of months supply of statins too. Which wasn't on the original prescription. Never did find out why. Didn't take them, of course, and the chemist wouldn't take them back.

[Andrew]

When did you last see a grapefruit or even fresh grapefuit juice in a supermarket ?. Neither of the two in my village seem to bother any longer.

I think the British are steadily moving to much sweeter, sicklier apples and juices, i.e apples that are shiny red but have no taste other than the overpowering effect of sugar.

[polygonum_on_google]

I think the British are steadily moving to much sweeter... EVERYTHING!

One of the reasons I make my own bread is simply to avoid sweetness. I don't use a single crystal of sugar. Totally unnecessary. Yet recipe after recipe tells you to use at least a teaspoonful, often more. And much commercial bread has a definite sweetness.

[charles]

The sugar is there to help the yeast rise.

[polygonum_on_google]

I'm quite sure my yeast is nothing special but it makes the dough rise perfectly well without adding any sugar. For clarity, it is just free fresh yeast from Tesco.

[Max Demian]

For some reason the "easy blend" yeast you mix with the flour doesn't need sugar. The stuff I use has "Yeast (98%), Emulsifier (Sorbitan Monostearate), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid)" so I don't know how it works.

[williamwright]

Snooty! The bloke's only trying to pass on a bit of useful info.

Bill

[Tim Streater]

My bread maker has a "standard white" recipe which includes a teaspoon of sugar. It also includes a "Frech" recipe which includes no sugar. Both rise very well. But that doesn't prove that it is just as good without.

[Max Demian]

Shows the hazard of mass medication as statins seem to be dished out to people who aren't sick.

[F]

Or stop them from becoming ill.

[polygonum_on_google]

Or, in my case, in a way that was very likely to make me ill! There is the possibility of hypocholesterolaemia and with my cholesterol level a statin could well have taken me well into that zone. Certainly numbers in the regions seen in those with familial hypocholesterolaemia.

Prescribing without engaging brain.

[charles]

That's what here, too. But SWMBO puts a little sugar s per recipe) in the mix. I don't find the result sweet at all.

l.

[David]

<snip>

Blimey!

60 hand picked participants. Must be one of the most detailed studies ever!

From personal experience, as someone who was not expecting side effects, I had a very bad response to two different statins, including tiredness and mood change. Symptoms observed by others, so it wasn't just my subjective view.

Having stopped the first one I tried an alternative and that didn't suit either.

Subsequent research into scientific papers and reviews showed that cholesterol isn't necessarily bad for you. As you age, a higher level of cholesterol can be good for you, especially if you are female.

Current thinking is that it isn't the total amount that is important, but the ratio between the different components.

Low cholesterol can be worse for you than high cholesterol.

All in all I am very against statins unless you have already had a cardiovascular issue which has been tied down to bad cholesterol.

TL;DR - the Guardian study is bollocks.

Cheers

Dave R

[Max Demian]

How would you know? It's the kind of thing popular in the US where it's all about money, with opioids because no-one need be in pain, prostates removed (wrecking genito-urinal function) in case they have cancer, medication if your systolic blood pressure exceeds 120 mmHg.