Food and Medicine Compatibility: What You Should Know

When getting a prescription at the pharmacy, pharmacists always tell you, "Absolutely no alcohol, and take it 30 minutes after meals." Alcohol is generally bad for your health, but are there other foods you should avoid? Is it really necessary to take all medications 30 minutes after a meal? You might have wondered about these things at some point. (The reason for 30 minutes after a meal is explained at the bottom of the article.) Thankfully, the Korea Food and Drug Administration recently released a booklet titled, "How to Take Medicine and Food Together," which introduces the compatibility between food and medicine. Looking at the contents, it becomes clear that just as people have fate and compatibility when meeting each other, food and medicine are no different. Some medications work well with certain foods, while others should be avoided. Let's take a look at the compatibility between food and medicine that you can use for years to come.■ Milk=Milk is considered a "complete food" and is good for your body. However, some medications cause problems when taken with milk. A prime example is constipation medication. Milk is slightly alkaline, neutralizing stomach acid, so it dissolves constipation medication in the stomach. This can lead to a decrease in effectiveness and stomach cramps. Some antibiotics and antifungals also have their absorption hindered by milk.Conversely, there are medications that are better when taken with milk. Analgesics like aspirin, which reduce inflammation and relieve pain, can irritate the stomach, so taking them with milk can reduce stomach damage. To summarize, antibiotics and constipation medications should not be taken with milk, while analgesics should be taken with milk.■ Fruits and Vegetables=Fruits and vegetables, known for their health benefits, are no exception. Grapefruit is a fruit many enjoy due to its sweet flavor followed by a bitter aftertaste, but be careful if you take regular medication. Anti-anxiety medications used to treat mental disorders and statins that reduce the fat content in the blood fall into this category. This is because the bitter components of grapefruit interfere with the liver's breakdown of these medications. Therefore, taking anti-anxiety medications and statins with grapefruit can lead to a problem of excessive drug effects because the medications are not broken down. In other words, grapefruit is a "forbidden fruit" for those taking anti-anxiety medications and statins.The same goes for oranges, often consumed as juice. Antacids like Gelpos and Almagel, which neutralize stomach acid to relieve heartburn, often contain aluminum. Normally, this ingredient is not absorbed into the body and only acts as an antacid and is excreted, but it can be absorbed when taken with orange juice. Also, since the role of antacids is to lower acidity, it's best to avoid fruits and carbonated beverages that are high in acidity. Drink orange juice at least three hours after taking an antacid to soothe your stomach.Among high blood pressure medications, there are many that require careful regulation of fruit and vegetable intake. The key here is potassium (K). Many high blood pressure medications increase potassium levels, and eating foods high in potassium can lead to an excess of potassium. Most high blood pressure medications are related to potassium channels. Foods rich in potassium include bananas, oranges, and leafy green vegetables. People taking high blood pressure medication should be careful about their fruit and vegetable intake.Anticoagulants are more complicated. Anticoagulants are medications that prevent blood from clotting. Here, vitamin K is a problem. Vitamin K has the property of making blood clot well, which is the opposite of anticoagulants. Therefore, people taking anticoagulants should avoid vitamin K intake. Foods high in vitamin K include green vegetables, cabbage, asparagus, kale, liver, green tea, and beans.■ Meat and Fish=When people get sick, they are often advised to eat meat, which is high in protein, for nutritional intake. However, there are precautions to be taken here as well. Tuberculosis medications can cause chills and headaches if taken with foods high in tyramine and histamine. Foods high in tyramine include herring, cheese, and animal liver, while histamine is found in oily fish. Tuberculosis patients need to be selective about the type of protein they consume when they need protein. Tyramine also does not mix well with a type of antidepressant called "MAO inhibitors." Tyramine has a blood pressure-raising effect, and normally, MAO enzymes break down tyramine, causing no problem. However, while taking MAO inhibitors, tyramine is not broken down, which can be fatal for people with high blood pressure. In other words, people with high blood pressure who are taking antidepressants need to reduce their intake of tyramine.■ Beverages and Alcohol=As most people think, beverages like coffee, cola, and chocolate are not good to take with medication. Caffeine in these beverages can cause side effects for people taking mental illness medications or antibiotics. For those taking osteoporosis medication, phosphorus in carbonated drinks removes calcium from bones, which is worse. Alcohol goes without saying. Alcohol has negative effects, to a greater or lesser extent, on most medications.■ Fasting=There are also medications that should be taken on an empty stomach, not 30 minutes after a meal. Some examples include lipid-soluble drugs among antifungal infection medications, antipyretics like acetaminophen, and antihistamines used to treat allergies. These medications have reduced absorption or effectiveness when taken with food. You don't have to be particularly careful about these medications because the pharmacy will inform you.In fact, both food and medication are absorbed into the body through the stomach. Therefore, compatibility between them is inevitable. Knowing the foods that are compatible with and incompatible with the medication you are taking can maximize the effects of the medication. Those who take medication regularly should review the symbiotic relationship between their medication and food. You can download the original file of the booklet from the Food and Drug Administration website (www.kfda.go.kr→Information→FDA Materials→Publications and Guidelines). (Article: Kim Jeong-hun, Science Columnist)※The Reason Most Medications are "Taken 30 Minutes After a Meal"Most medications are not taken before, during, or after meals. Why then is it recommended to take them 30 minutes after a meal? The effectiveness of medication is closely related to the blood concentration of the medication. Most medications maintain an effective blood concentration for about 5-6 hours. This is almost in line with the time between meals. Ultimately, this condition is intended to ensure that the medication is taken regularly rather than because of the food being consumed. Refer to the text above for medications that should be taken with or without specific foods.
Source: https://topkoreans.tistory.com/42 [Top Korean Blogs: Tistory]