Grapefruit has become terribly unpopular, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In 1976, few fruits were more popular. The average person living in the United States ate almost 25 pounds of grapefruit each year. Today it's 2.5 pounds. Fresh grapefruit consumption has plunged by 70 percent, and total grapefruit consumption, which includes the processed kind often used for juice, has tumbled by almost 80 percent.
Few things have contributed more to grapefruit's demise than the growing body of research that says eating the citrus could intensify the effects of some medications. The first studies connecting the two appeared in the 1970s and 1980s, but more recent research has built on the notion that mixing grapefruits and certain medications can be a lethal combination. The FDA, wary of the danger, went so far as to publish a report last year warning consumers about the risks and delineating the pills that don't pair well with the citrus. Among those medications is Lipitor, which is meant to help lower cholesterol; Nifediac, which is meant to help lower blood pressure; Buspar, which is taken for anxiety; and Allegra, a popular antihistamine.
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