Monday January 14/ 2008

12:10: The Health Roundup, with Jay, Jamie and Jimmy.

12:20: Obesity is an ever-growing concern in North America. South of the border, over two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Why are obesity rates on the rise? A renowned health economist who has spent much of his career studying the economics of obesity is out with a new book revealing why America's growing waistline is a by-product of economic and technological success.

Guest: Dr. Eric A. Finkelstein, nationally acclaimed expert on the subject of economics and obesity. He is a health economist with the research organization RTI International in North Carolina, and teaches health economics at Duke University. 919.541.8074.

12:35: Time for our weekly visit with Shalom Village.

Guest: Pat Morden, CEO of Shalom Village. 905.528.5377 x 229

12:45: DayNight Pharmacy segment.

Guest: Irene.

Drug interactions with Grapefruit !

Believe it or not, grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interact with the effects of several medications. The effect begins within four hours of drinking or eating grapefruit and lasts for up to 24 hours because the body needs time to replace the enzymes. A group of enzymes, or proteins convert drugs into inactive substances that are readily eliminated from the body. These enzymes are found in the liver, small intestine and kidney. A component in grapefruit juice binds to and inactivates two of these enzymes in the intestine. As a result the enzymes are unable to break down certain drugs, an effect that increases the amount of the drug in the body and may exaggerate the body's response to the drug. This is known as a drug-food interaction. Of course each person differs, so the extent of the drug varies from person to person and with the increase of certain drugs as do the side effects. Be sure to check with the pharmacist !

Examples of medications that may be affected by grape juice.

Anti fungal, Cholesterol-lowering agents, Blood pressure-lowering agents, Anti-anxiety agents , drugs used to prevent transplant rejection .