Nutrition Insurance
THE PRESCRIPTION medication you’re taking for your
hypertension, diabetes, or osteoporosis may be doing
wonders for your underlying condition, but long-term
use of some drugs can interfere with your body’s ability
to absorb and metabolize nutrients. That makes it even more important
to eat well and perhaps even take a supplement, as suggested below.
As always, check with your doctor before combining prescription
medication with vitamin or herbal supplements. —Sheryl Kraft
T FIND IN THESE FOODS
Osteoporosis
; Alendronate (Fosamax)
; Risedronate (Actonel)
; Etidronate (Didronel)
Calcium ( 1,000– 1,500 milligrams
[mg]) Take at least 2 hours
before or after your osteoporosis
medication
Calcium: Dairy foods; canned
salmon (with bones); sardines;
dark-green, leafy vegetables;
almonds; asparagus; figs
Depression
; Fluoxetine (Prozac)
; Citalopram (Celexa)
; Paroxetine (Paxil)
Melatonin ( 1–3 mg at bedtime)
None
Heartburn/
Acid Reflux
; Omeprazole (Prilosec)
; Lansoprazole (Prevacid)
; Esomeprazole(Nexium)
; Rabeprazole sodium
(AcipHex)
Calcium ( 1,000– 1,200 mg)
Vitamin B12 (50–100 micrograms [mcg])
Calcium: Dairy foods; canned
salmon (with bones); sardines;
dark-green, leafy vegetables;
almonds; asparagus; figs
Vitamin B12: Meat, dairy foods, liver, shellfish, fish
Seizures
; Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Folic Acid (200–800 mcg)
Folic Acid: Beef liver; legumes;
dark-green, leafy vegetables
High Blood
Pressure
; Chlorothiazide (Diuril)
; Chlorthalidone
(Thalitone)
; Metolazone (Mykrox)
; Hydrochlorothiazide
(HydroDIURIL)
Magnesium (250–500 mg)
Potassium (100 mg) Do not
take magnesium or potassium
if you have kidney disease
Zinc ( 25 mg)
CoQ10 (100–200 mg) CoQ10 may worsen low blood pressure
Magnesium: Dairy foods, fish
Potassium: Apricots, bananas,
meat, poultry
Zinc: Chicken, yogurt
CoQ10: Beef, sardines, broccoli, chicken, trout
High
Cholesterol
; Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
; Pravastatin (Pravachol)
; Simvastatin (Zocor)
CoQ10 (100–200 mg)
CoQ10: Beef, sardines, broccoli, chicken, trout
Diabetes
; Metformin (Glucophage)
Calcium ( 1,000– 1,200 mg)
Vitamin B12 (200– 1,000 mcg)
Calcium: Dairy foods; canned
salmon (with bones); sardines;
dark-green, leafy vegetables;
almonds; asparagus; figs
Vitamin B12: Meat, dairy foods, liver, shellfish, fish ;
WHAT’S YOUR BEEF? Eating less
red meat may prolong your life: in an
NIH-AARP study of half a million adults,
those who ate four or more ounces of red
meat daily were 30 percent more likely to
die from heart disease and cancer than
those who ate the least. —Chai Woodham
THE EYES HAVE I T Taking a
combination of B vitamins (B6, B12, and folic acid) may prevent age-related
vision loss, Harvard researchers report. In
a seven-year study, women who took the
B vitamins were 34 percent less likely to
develop macular degeneration. —C. W.
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP: PE TER WALKER/CORBIS/JUPI TERIMAGES; IMAGE SOURCE/GE T T Y IMAGES; ALLOY PHOTOGRAPH Y/VEER. SOURCES: HERB, NU TRIEN T, AND DRUG IN TERAC TIONS BY MITCHELL BEBEL STARGROVE, N. D., JONATHAN
TREASURE, AND DWIGHT L. MCKEE, M.D. (MOSBY, 2007); DRUG-INDUCED NUTRIENT DEPLETION HANDBOOK BY ROSS PELTON, R.PH., PH.D., JAMES B. LAVALLE, R.PH., ERNEST B. HAWKINS, R.PH., DANIEL L. KIRNSKY, R.PH. (LEXI-COMP, 2001).
