Mastitis is a bacterial infection that affects breast tissue. It's most commonly contracted by breastfeeding women -- bacteria on their skin or from a baby's mouth gets into the milk duct and multiplies. It's also possible -- though uncommon -- to contract mastitis if you aren't breast feeding if bacteria enters your nipple through a crack in your skin. Grapefruit seed extract might fight off the bacterial infection that causes mastitis.
Chemicals
Though the definition of grapefruit seed extract is the seeds and pulp left over after juicing grapefruit, many grapefruit seed extract products contain more than just seeds and pulp. Donal O'Mathuna, a bio-ethicist and herbal researcher, analyzed at least eight grapefruit seed extract studies for the "Irish Times." O'Mathuna researched studies on grapefruit seed extract products conducted in the U.S., Austria, Germany, Sweden and Japan published between 1999 and 2009. All of the studies reached the same conclusion: Grapefruit seed in its natural state possesses no ability to fight off infections, but that many grapefruit seed extract products contain synthetic preservatives and chemicals. These chemicals can combat infections such as mastitis.
Precautions for Breastfeeding Women
If you're breastfeeding and use a grapefruit seed extract that contains chemicals, the chemicals could pass through your breast milk to your baby. Preservatives such as benzethonium chloride can cause serious harm to adults -- convulsions and coma -- so they could prove especially dangerous to a baby, O'Mathuna says. A product label might not tell you whether a grapefruit seed extract contains chemicals and, if it does, it might not identify the types of chemicals and their potential risks.
General Warnings
Properties in grapefruit inhibit your body's ability to metabolize drugs. This puts you at added risk of complications from the medication. Drugs known to cause serious interactions, including strokes and heart attacks, when combined with grapefruit include birth control pills and some types of blood pressure, cholesterol and antidepressant drugs. Benzethonium chloride, a preservative often found in grapefruit seed extract products, can also stop your body from being able to properly break down medications. When your body doesn't metabolize a drug, it stays in your system longer than intended and, if you take the medication regularly, might accumulate to toxic levels.
Traditional Treatment
Mastitis is traditionally treated with oral antibiotics taken for 10 to 14 days. This should treat your symptoms, which can include feeling rundown and feverish, as well as swelling, pain and redness in the affected breast. In addition to taking antibiotics, it's important to rest and drink plenty of fluids to help rid your body of the infection. If your infection remains after completing a course of antibiotics, see your doctor. A rare form of inflammatory breast cancer can mimic mastitis.
References
- MayoClinic.com; "Mastitis"; March 25, 2010
- "The Irish Times"; "Peel Back the Hype"; Donal O'Mathuna; March 24, 2009
- "Pharmazie"; "Aspects of the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Grapefruit Seed Extract and its Relation to Preservative Substances Contained"; T. von Woedtke et al.; June 1999
- "New York Times"; "Experts Reveal the Secret Powers of Grapefruit Juice"; Nicholas Bakalar; March 21, 2006
- Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide; "Grapefruit and Medication: A Cautionary Note"; February 2006
- "European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology"; "Adverse Effects by Artificial Grapefruit Seed Extract Products in Patients on Warfarin Therapy"; H. Brandin et al.; March 20, 2007
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