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If taken with meals, are there any foods or drinks that may reduce absorption and should therefore be avoided when the supplements are taken? What about medications?

April 26, 2017absorption avoided drinks foods MEALS medications reduce Supplements

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If taken with meals, are there any foods or drinks that may reduce absorption and should therefore be avoided when the supplements are taken? What about medications?

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In general most foods are okay. Foods with Olestra (like “Wow” potato chips) or other binding like agents (benechol to lower cholesterol and cholesterol lowering drugs), may reduce your absorption of certain vitamins and essentially drag them out of your system (with the cholesterol). It has been shown that grapefruit juice in particular and some other citrus like juices may alter the absorption of medications that affect blood pressure. While no direct studies have been done to assess the effect on supplements, I always advise using water to take your supplements. There are always potential drug-drug, herb-drug, supplement-drug interactions. It is almost impossible to know and understand all the possible interactions. In general most supplements mix safely with most drugs. There are no absolutes in life and particularly in medicine. There is a specific interaction with cholesterol fighting medicines as I will describe. Since your liver makes most of your body’s cholesterol in th