Medicines are a little like fuel and oil additives. Often heavily Ladvertised, they promise to cure all our ills but may also have serious side- effects. At least the FDA requires drug companies to reveal this possibility, while the snake oil outfits can hide the fact.
Several times a week, I encounter patients on multiple medications. This can be a vicious circle, as some medications counteract one another, making patients take additional medications just to deal with the side effects of others.
As we all know, any medication, whether it is over-the-counter or by prescription, has multiple side effects. How the most common medications affect our nutrition is the subject of this column. The source of the following information is the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook, Second Edition.
The popular nonsteroidal antiinflammatories ibuprofen, Aleve, Advil, Naprosyn, Feldene, etc. decrease folic acid, which the body needs to prevent birth defects, cervical dysplasia, anemia, and cardiovascular disease.
However, aspirin and other related salicylates are even worse, depleting vitamin C (resulting in a lowered immune system, easy bruising, and poor wound healing). calcium (resulting in osteoporosis, heart, and blood pressure irregularities, and tooth decay), folic acid, iron (resulting in anemia, weakness, fatigue, hair loss, and brittle nails,) and vitamin B5 (resulting in fatigue, listlessness, skin problems, and liver and nerve problems). Therefore, we should prefer the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications noted above.
Antacids and ulcer medications such as Pepcid, Tagamet, Zantac, Prevacid, Prilosec, etc. may be necessary to prevent a bleeding ulcer or severe gastritis. But these medications also cause vitamin B12 deficiency (resulting in anemia, depression, tiredness, weakness, and increased cardiovascular risk), a folic acid deficiency (see above), a vitamin D deficiency (resulting in osteoporosis, muscle weakness and hearing loss), a calcium deficiency (see above), an iron deficiency (see above) and a zinc deficiency (resulting in weakened immunity, slow wound heal- ing, a loss of a sense of smell and taste. and sexual dysfunction).
Cholesterol drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, Simvastatin, etc. deplete coenzyme Q10 (resulting in various cardiovascular problems, weakened immunity, low energy, and muscle aches).
Antibiotics kill not only harmful bacteria but also the beneficial bacteria in our gastrointestinal systems. If we do not take probiotics to replenish these beneficial bacteria, many people will suffer decreased digestion, reduced absorption of nutrients, gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Antibiotics also deplete vitamins K and B.
The most popular and best current diabetic drug is Metformin. I have several hundred patients on this medication. However, it causes coenzyme Q10 deficiency (see above), a vitamin B12 deficiency (see above), and a folic acid deficiency (see above). Too much Metformin can also send undigested glucose to the large intestine, where bacteria eat it and make gas, so the patient suffers from gas and diarrhea, as well as impaired nutrient absorption. However, if the patient does not eat simple sugars, they generally do not experience bloating or diarrhea.
Many people are on diuretics, either for edema, swelling, or blood pressure control. Medications such as Lasix, Bumex, hydrochlorothiazide, Lozol, Zaroxolyn, etc. cause a depletion of calcium (see above), magnesium (resulting in cardiovascular problems, asthma, osteoporosis, cramps, and PMS), vitamin B1 (resulting in depression, irritability, memory loss, muscle weakness, and edema), vitamin B6 (resulting in depression, sleep disturbances and an increased heart disease risk), vitamin C (see above), zinc (see above), coenzyme Q10 (see above), potassium (resulting in an irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, fatigue and edema) and sodium (resulting in muscle weakness, dehydration, memory problems and loss of appetite). The elderly have very delicate systems, and when their kidneys get older it becomes harder for them to balance sodium and potassium, and the above-noted medications can cause potentially fatal heart arrhythmias. Thus, it is crucial that the benefits of using such medications outweigh the risks.
Please realize that the above is just a small example of what could happen with the use of various medications.
Whether we take medications or not, it is very important that we eat a balanced diet including meat, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, eggs, milk, seeds, nuts, and fish. This way, we ensure that we get all of the macro and micronutrients. that we need. Some nutrients are necessary daily, others need to be ingested once. a month or less, thus the need for variety. in our diets.
As an insurance policy, I recommend one multivitamin per day. For me, the Costco brand is as good as any. Due to my heavy exercise load, I also take Co-Q10 100 to 300mg per day. And if I didn't get approximately one hour per week of sunlight, I would also take 4000 units of vitamin D per day.
It is also important to remember that poor eating habits, stress, heavy alcohol consumption, smoking, various gastrointestinal disorders, etc. all interfere with the absorption of vitamins. And you must keep in mind that taking certain vitamins in excess can also be harmful, particularly vitamin A. For example, at least once a year, a child comes into my office with orange skin and when I ask, I learn that the parents have been feeding the child carrot juice. Too much vitamin A is toxic and potentially harmful. Fortunately, once the parents give carrots in moderation, within several weeks, the problems disappear.
Remember, too, that when we are absorbing an excess of one nutrient, it impairs the absorption of other nutrients. For example, calcium and iron are both minerals. When the body is absorbing calcium, it cannot do an adequate job of absorbing iron and vice versa. Therefore, for optimal absorption, it is better to have milk (calcium) at one time and meat (iron) at another. For those of us who are not. deficient in either mineral, this is not as important. But the take-home point is not to overdo any one nutrient and not to overdo any one food because if we don't eat a variety of foods, we are likely to be deficient.
According to the World Health Organization, "Nutrition is the foundation for health and development. Better nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness, and better health. Healthy children learn better. Healthy people are stronger, more productive, and more able to create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of both poverty and hunger in a sustainable way. Better nutrition is the prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to achieving a better quality of life."