Is it dangerous to take Cholestin along with drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit?
A. Grapefruit juice contains a group of natural products that are inhibitors of P753A, an P450-like enzyme in the liver that is responsible for the metabolism and breakdown of “statins” and analogs that are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (cholestin contains Monacolins which are statin analogs). It has been reported in several occasions (in the laboratory experiments) that taking statins along with grapefruit juice resulted in the enhancement of “statin” levels in the blood stream. There are two potential outcomes of this phenomenon: 1. Higher levels of active substances will result in higher potency of the product – lower cholesterol (more than expected). 2. Too high a level of active substances (Monacolins) for a prolonged period of time (repeatedly) may cause a “build up” of these substances in places one does not wish to have (for example, muscle cells) that may lead to some side effect such as myalgia and rhabdomyolysis (muscle weakness and pain, due to muscle cell breakdown caused b
