statins
4 interactions related to statins
pomegranate + statins
Pomegranate inhibits the drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP3A4 in laboratory and animal studies, raising a theoretical concern that it could increase blood levels of CYP3A4-dependent statins such as simvastatin, atorvastatin, and lovastatin. However, controlled human studies - including ones using simvastatin and a sensitive CYP3A4 probe drug - did not find a meaningful effect, so pomegranate should not be treated like grapefruit. Concentrated pomegranate extract supplements warrant more caution than the whole fruit.
oat fiber + statins
Oat fiber is rich in beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that forms a viscous gel in the gut. Taken at the same time as a statin, this gel can bind the statin tablet and slow its absorption, potentially blunting some of the cholesterol-lowering effect. The evidence is mechanistic and based largely on animal data; separating the two in time appears to resolve the conflict.
alcohol + statins
Statins and alcohol are both processed by the liver, and heavy or chronic combined use can add to the strain on liver cells, modestly raising the risk of liver enzyme elevation and, less commonly, muscle problems. In people with established alcohol-related liver disease, statin levels in the blood can run higher than normal. For most people who drink lightly to moderately, a statin is still safe with routine monitoring.
bergamot + statins
Bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia) is the source of bergamottin, the prototype furanocoumarin that inactivates CYP3A4. Bergamot juice and concentrated bergamot polyphenol supplements (often marketed for cholesterol) could in theory raise levels of CYP3A4-metabolized statins (simvastatin, atorvastatin, lovastatin). The mechanism is well established in the lab and in animals, but no direct human pharmacokinetic studies of bergamot with statins exist, so the real-world magnitude is uncertain.