During the long holiday, pay close attention to your diet, especially if you are taking medication.

These days, pomelos are flooding the market, making it the perfect season to enjoy them. However, for people taking lipid-lowering drugs, this seasonal delicacy may carry hidden risks. At best, it can reduce the effectiveness of the medication; at worst, it can cause additional harm to the body.

Doctors from the Department of Pharmacy at Peking University Third Hospital remind patients taking statin lipid-lowering drugs to be especially cautious about pomelos this season.

Doctors explain that when taking statins, drug-food interactions can occur, and the most important one to watch out for is pomelo. In autumn, when pomelos are abundantly available, patients on statins should avoid grapefruit and pomelo. Grapefruit and pomelo contain an enzyme inhibitor that blocks the metabolism of statins in the body, causing statin concentrations to become very high and accumulate, which increases damage to the liver and kidneys.

In fact, cases of food affecting drug efficacy are very common in outpatient clinics.

Ms. Yang, 65, has high blood lipids and hypothyroidism. She had a cardiac stent placed four years ago. She must take four medications every day: a statin, ezetimibe, aspirin, and a thyroid medication. Her prescription happens to include a statin lipid-lowering drug. Over the years, her medication list has grown, and she has never been clear about levothyroxine. One day, she went specifically to the hospital to ask her doctor.

Doctors at Beijing Shijitan Hospital explain that levothyroxine binds with components in milk, affecting drug absorption. Levothyroxine should be taken on an empty stomach, preferably with a one-hour gap from milk, other foods, and other medications.

Do not overlook these drug-food combinations!

Besides seasonal pomelos, there are several easily overlooked dietary taboos in daily life.

Levofloxacin and other quinolone and tetracycline drugs should not be taken with milk. Calcium ions in milk bind with the drugs to form complexes, reducing intestinal absorption of the medication.

Grapefruit juice inhibits liver drug-metabolizing enzymes. When taken with drugs like simvastatin, the medication cannot be metabolized normally and accumulates in the body, easily producing toxic side effects.

Tea contains tannins, which bind with drugs containing iron and other metal ions, affecting absorption.

Alcohol is also a major high-risk taboo during medication. Doctors remind that during treatment, try not to drink alcohol and avoid foods containing alcohol. Alcohol itself has a central inhibitory effect. If taken with sedative-hypnotic drugs, it can intensify central inhibition, causing drowsiness and fatigue, and in severe cases, respiratory depression. Some drugs can also produce a disulfiram-like reaction with alcohol, blocking alcohol metabolism and causing headaches or even alcohol poisoning.

In addition, coarse fiber foods can also affect drug efficacy. Some drugs that need to be taken on an empty stomach, if eaten with high-fiber foods, will slow gastric emptying, delaying the drugs' arrival at the intestines and slowing absorption.

Medication safety is not just about whether to take medicine, but also about how to take it and what to take it with. Remember three principles: check the ingredient information before taking medication, consult a pharmacist if you have questions, and control what you eat while taking medication. Share this with family and friends who take medication long-term to avoid drug-food interaction mistakes and protect medication safety.