Blood clots, which usually form in response to injury, are the body’s way of stopping bleeding. However, blood clots that form in one or more of the deep veins in the body can cause problems and are known as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). According to a case report published in the journal The Lancet, a woman nearly lost her leg due to a blood clot forming in the deep veins in her leg. According to the news in the Daily Express, the possible reason why the woman came to the point of losing her leg was described as both shocking and surprising.
GRAPEFRUIT MAY CAUSE BLOOD CLOTHES
Researchers suggested that consuming a grapefruit daily may have contributed to blood clot formation.
Emergency doctors in Olympia, Washington, USA, treated a 42-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital in November 2008 with complaints of shortness of breath, dizziness and difficulty walking.
An ultrasound scan found a large clot blocking the veins of her left leg, and said the woman was in danger of losing her limb due to gangrene. Doctors dissolved the clot by administering a clot-dissolving drug directly into the blockage.
Doctors found the woman had taken a daily dose of birth control pills and had taken an approximately hour-and-a-half-hour drive the previous day, and found that she had a genetic variant called the factor V Leiden mutation, which has been linked to a blood clotting disorder. While all are noted to be well-known factors that cause deep vein thrombosis, she ate a grapefruit every morning according to a diet she had started three days ago to lose weight, according to the report. It has been reported that grapefruit juice blocks the effect of an enzyme called CYP3A4, which breaks down the birth control hormone estrogen, and this increases the coagulation levels, that is, the tendency of the blood to clot.
It was stated that grapefruit juice breaks down very slowly, and since it will have a cumulative effect when taken daily, it was noted that on the third day of the diet, the patient’s estrogen levels were many times higher than normal, and this would help the formation of clot.
“AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE”
Hematologist Doctor Trevor Baglin said, “From this case study, grapefruit appears to increase the thrombotic effect of the contraceptive pill in the presence of a genetic predisposition. However, it is worth noting that this was a single case study and a very unusual case. Any extreme diet should be avoided. I recommend it because it can have unpredictable consequences.”
WHO SHOULD NOT CONSUME GRAPEFRUIT?
According to experts, people using statins (drugs that lower cholesterol and subsequently increase the risk of blood clots) are advised not to eat grapefruit, while those using simvastatin (a common type of statin) are advised not to consume grapefruit juice.