This week, one of the most e-mailed articles on The New York Times Web site was its Well blog, which discussed how grapefruit is responsible for many drug reactions. We’re learning that the chemical constituents within grapefruit affect the bioavailability of many drugs, including some cholesterol, high blood pressure, and anti-cancer drugs—as well as some opiates, birth control pills, and many other medications.

We are planning a series of blog posts to highlight some exciting work from our research portfolio. Research we support has led to more than 3,000 peer-reviewed papers; hundreds are published each year. We plan to highlight a few here, choosing examples that illustrate both the promise and the challenges of research on complementary health practices.