grapefruit

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An Antibiotic for Syphilis Is Being Sprayed on Orange Trees
You Know About Antibiotics
and Meat. How About Oranges?
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

You Know About Antibiotics and Meat. How About Oranges?

Two antibiotics are being sprayed on some of America's orange, grapefruit trees

(Newser) - We hear a lot about antibiotics used to produce our meat. Oranges, not so much. But that's the reality, reports Andrew Jacobs for the New York Times . It's all due to citrus greening disease, which is caused by a bacteria that is spread to orange and grapefruit trees...

Irma Has Devastated Florida's Citrus Crop

Flooded groves are full of dropped fruit

(Newser) - Hurricane Irma has made things a lot tougher for Florida citrus growers already reeling from the impact of a disease that has cut harvests by 70% since 2005. The state's eastern seaboard is perhaps the best grapefruit-growing zone in the world, and growers estimate that this year's harvest...

Stop Giving 'Disgusting' Grapefruit as a Holiday Gift

This terrible tradition needs to die: Katy Waldman

(Newser) - It's the holidays, which means some clueless older relative is sure to force a grapefruit or 12 upon you. Giving grapefruit as a holiday gift started up during the Great Depression, because people wanted their gifts to be "nourishing" during such tough times. But the tradition—the absolute...

Mixing Grapefruit, Pills Can Be Deadly
 Doctors Warn 
 of Mixing Pills, 
 Grapefruit 
in case you missed it

Doctors Warn of Mixing Pills, Grapefruit

It can have lethal consequences, they say

(Newser) - Taking medication? You may want to think twice before digging into a grapefruit. A substance in the fruit can prevent the drugs from breaking down in the body, leading to dangerous—even deadly—consequences. Chemicals in grapefruit deactivate enzymes in the body that are supposed to break down the drugs;...

Future Bug Repellent: Grapefruit?

All-natural chemical sends mosquitos, ticks fleeing

(Newser) - Repelled by bug repellent? The answer to your bug-blocking needs may be found in a grapefruit. A chemical called nootkatone found in citrus fruit and certain Alaskan trees works wonders against mosquitos, ticks, and probably bedbugs—and it’s likely safe enough to drink, NPR reports. “If you've...

Sperm, Grapefruit Slow Aging
 Sperm, Grapefruit Slow Aging 

Sperm, Grapefruit Slow Aging

Spermidine found to increase lifespans of fruit flies, worms

(Newser) - The fountain of youth may be filled with grapefruit and human sperm, according to Austrian researchers. The scientists found that spermidine, a chemical compound abundant in both sperm and grapefruit, increased longevity by around a third in fruit flies and worms when it was added to their diet. Human immune...

Trendy Pomegranates Have a Downside, Too

The trendy fruit has some drawbacks

(Newser) - Those five bottles of pomegranate juice you drink per day to help you live longer? Turns out they could be hurting you, reports the Chicago Tribune. Pomegranates, which have reached “superstar status” because of their alleged health benefits, can interfere with a number of drugs, including Crestor and Lipitor....

When Life Gives You Grapefruits...
When Life
Gives You Grapefruits...

When Life Gives You Grapefruits...

Purify their compounds and make super-powerful drugs

(Newser) - Doctors have known for years that grapefruit juice can boost the effects of some drugs to toxic levels, but they're now purifying the compounds responsible to make weak medicines stronger. Florida researchers have used the extracts to pump up an anti-HIV drug, reports the Wall Street Journal. "This is...

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