The Drink You Take Your Medication With Might Matter, Study Finds

The Huffington Post

The Drink You Take Your Medication With Might Matter, Study Finds

We’ve written before about why you shouldn’t take iron tablets with tea or coffee, as it might hinder your body’s absorption of the mineral (according to the NHS). And new research published in the journal Pharmaceutics has suggested that your choice of beverage can affect other medications, too. The study found that the liquids we take alongside our medicine could impact how our body absorbs its contents. How might different drinks affect our medication? The researchers looked at how seven liquids, like water – including tap water, filtered water, and alkaline water – and apple juice affected various medications in lab conditions. They also analysed 22 commonly consumed beverages, though less extensively than the seven tested in the lab. They found that alkaline bottled water with a high mineral content seemed most likely to impact the protective coating that covered the active ingredients of various medicines. This led the medicinal agent to be released faster than designed. Acidic conditions, like apple juice, led to a slower release, meanwhile. Dr Nikolett Kállai-Szabó, the study’s lead author, said : “The small drug particle does not know whether it is already in the intestine or still sitting in a glass. If the pH of the surrounding environment is similar, the coating may begin to dissolve in the same way.” Why does it matter if these coatings are damaged early? The coating on these medications is “designed to protect drugs in acidic environments and to ensure intestinal release,” the paper reads. These coatings – called enteric coatings – are made to help the important part of medicines survive the stomach’s powerful acid and stay intact long enough to reach the lower part of our digestive system, where they can be absorbed. Some studies have shown that medicines are more bioavailable (easy for your body to access and absorb) when they have these coatings. That’s one of the possible reasons why splitting capsules open (especially extended-release tablets) before consuming them can be problematic . In fact, the authors of this paper said you should consult an expert, like a pharmacist, before doing so. Does that mean I should never drink bottled water when taking medication? This study didn’t conclusively prove that drinking bottled water (or any other drink) when taking medication definitely affected the efficacy. But the researchers, who analysed label advice for 103 enteric-coated medications, did suggest sticking to tap water if you’re not sure. “Healthcare professionals generally assume that medications are swallowed with plain tap water, but that is not always obvious to patients today, given the wide variety of mineral and medicinal waters available on the market,” Dr Kállai-Szabó said . Very few (nine) of the medications they looked at specified which liquid to take the medicine with. If your medication does that, then adhere to that advice instead. Related... Mineral Found In Eggs And Oats May Be Key To Healthy Ageing The Humour Style Psychologists Think Is Linked To Better Ageing The Fruit Linked To Better Heart Health And Slower Brain Ageing

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