Drug-nutrient interactions essay

Question 1

What is a drug-nutrient interaction?

Answer 1

An interaction resulting from a physical, chemical, physiological or pathophysiological relationship between a drug and a nutrient, multiple nutrient, food in general or nutrition status

Question 2

What is considered a significant interaction?

Answer 2

A 20% change in pharmocokinetic or pharmacodynamic parameter from baseline is suggested to be the threshold for describing a drug-nutrient interaction as significant.

Question 3

What are some consequences?

Answer 3

Decreased efficacy, increased toxicity, and altered nutrition status

Question 4

Who is more at risk?

Answer 4

Elderly –> not as efficient physiological processes
Obese –> additional fat, fat-soluble medications can be stored in greater amounts so there can be an increased physiological level of a drug
Organ transplants recipients, especially liver or kidney -> metabolic processing is reduced
People receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition –>
Those receiving long-term intake of a drug –> polypharmacy increases risk, more opportunity of interactions, some medications more vulnerable, warfarin (multiple interactions), phenytoin (narrow range of therapeutic effect). Some antibiotics.

Question 5

What is pharmacokinetics?

Answer 5

What the body does to the drug

ADME

Absorption
DIstribution
Metabolism
Excretion

Question 6

What is pharmacodynamics?

Answer 6

A measure of drug activity, potency or effect. Influneced by
- activity at receptors
- physiological processes and biological functions –> mechanisms it is involved in
- activity against microorganisms