While the Greek physician Hippocrates had it right, that food should be our medicine, there are potential problems that can arise when pairing certain food and drugs together. If you are taking medication, it's important to be aware of the potential clash between food and pills to prevent unwanted side effects.
Food can interact with drugs and alter their absorption rate in the body. This interaction can either decrease or enhance the body's utilization of a drug so that a person receives either too small or large a dose.
For example, many drugs, such as cholesterol-lowering statins, interact with grapefruit and grapefruit juice. Several components in this fruit inhibit the family of enzymes in the intestinal wall (cytochrome P450) from breaking down the drug. Therefore you end up with a higher dose of the drug circulating in your bloodsteam which could potentially be toxic.
Another example of how foods can interfere with the absorption of drugs is the interaction between the antibiotic tetracycline and the minerals calcium and iron. When the antibiotic is taken with either of these minerals, they bind to each other reducing their absorption. Therefore people are advised not to take this antibiotic with dairy products or to take it separately from iron supplements.
Another example is an interaction between hypertension (high blood pressure) medications such as beta-blockers and natural licorice candy. Glycyrrhiza root, used in natural licorice candies, can increase blood pressure.
Here's an interesting article from The Wall Street Journal highlighting some more food and drug interactions.
Always check with your doctor or health care professional regarding diet and medications so you can be sure that the food choices you're making are supporting your health goals and not hampering them.
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