Did you know that medications have an adverse effect on the absorption of nutrients?
Some of the therapeutic medicines, sedatives, tranquilizers, antacids, pain relievers, and medicines prescribed by doctors can interfere with the proper utilization of nutrients. These medicines can affect the nutritional process in several ways: they can increase the absorption or expulsion of nutrients or reduce the body's ability to give nutrients a way that it can use them. Also, they can decrease the amount of food eaten by reducing appetite and causing nausea or diarrhea when eating.
The effects of drugs on nutrition are important, increasing as the length of time that drugs are taken increases. The risk is greater when these medicines are taken by people whose diets are inadequate in the necessary nutritional content.
A person who would be in danger would be, for example, an older adult who takes several medications to correct the complications of a vascular disease, since the medicines could affect the absorption of nutrients. A young woman who is taking oral contraceptives (those that can lower vitamin B6 levels in the blood) and who tries to eat as little food as possible could also be affected.
People who have limited knowledge of nutrition and who eat little are more susceptible to nutrient deficiencies and may suffer more from the effects of drug-diet interactions.
It is surprising that some of the most harmful substances are found more frequently in home medicine cabinets. Antacids are abused to counteract gastric discomfort, which is usually caused by excess alcohol, coffee, or food. Prolonged and frequent use of antacids, without the supervision of a doctor, can result in the loss of phosphate.
Mineral oil, an old-fashioned laxative that is still popular among the elderly, can hinder the absorption of vitamin D, vitamin K, and carotene (a compound that the body converts to vitamin A). Diuretics can cause the body to lose large amounts of potassium, and excessive alcohol abuse can reduce the absorption of folic acid, thiamine, vitamin B12, and magnesium.
Antibiotics can also affect nutrition. Fortunately, most antibiotics are taken for relatively short periods of time. However, when taken for months or years, as with tetracycline doses to treat acne, it is important to protect the body against vitamin deficiencies and the weakening of the body's processes such as absorption and iron transportation.
Food can also affect the absorption of medications. The presence of food in the stomach and intestines can decrease or increase the time it takes for a medicine to travel through the gastrointestinal tract to where it is needed in the body. For this reason, doctors prescribe medicines to be taken once a day.
Before attributing physical symptoms or changes in health strictly to the interaction between food and medicine, one must take into account other factors that may influence the body's response.
These include age, lifestyle, drug use, and body size. You may also not feel any nutrition-related side effects when taking medicines. When the use of medications is accompanied by good nutrition, diet alone should make up for any deficiencies in nutrient absorption associated with the use of medications.
The interaction of a medicine with nutrients can be minimized by eating a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, cereals, and dairy products.
Thanks for reading me!.
Main picture: https://medshadow.org/4-foods-can-mess-meds/
