Some foods can cause problems with prescription and over-the-counter medications. Sally Parr looks at what to watch out for and explains why we should always read the small print
A pill for every ill? It certainly seems that way, with more than 1,100m prescriptions handed out in England in 2017/181 and the numbers rising year on year.2 We might view such figures as progress, because it implies that conditions are being more accurately diagnosed and that appropriate treatments are available; yet every time we pop a pill, there’s a ‘risk versus benefit’ to weigh up.
Whilst some drugs do relieve pain, alleviate unpleasant symptoms or treat specific conditions, there is also the potential for negative interactions with drinks, foods, nutritional supplements, herbal products or other drugs.3 It is also possible that even the bacteria in our gut can affect medication or supplements.
Recent research from the University of California San Francisco, USA, for example, identified how specific bacteria in the microbiome can interfere with a drug taken to relieve the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Levodopa (L-dopa) is taken to deliver dopamine to the brain, alleviating symptoms of the disease; but its effectiveness can vary from person to person. Because previous research had shown antibiotics to improve patients’ response to L-dopa, it was speculated that bacteria might have a role in affecting L-dopa’s efficacy. In this recent study, scientists discovered that one strain of bacteria Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) was responsible for degrading L-dopa every time.4
Prediction problems
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer 2019 من Optimum Nutrition.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Summer 2019 من Optimum Nutrition.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Summer Of
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Keep Calm And Curry On
In August, India celebrates the anniversary of Indian Independence, yet the Anglo-Indian community, a legacy of the British Raj with its roots in European and Indian ancestry, still treads the cultural line between both communities. Jenny Mallin, author of A Grandmother’s Legacy, tells us about the fusion food in her family and recipes passed down through the generations
