Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletions

Every day physicians write millions of prescriptions and patients dutifully go to their local pharmacies to get their medications. People turst their doctors and expect that the drugs they are instructed to take will make them well. Frequently things go as planned and people get better. On the other hand, the United States is the sickest country in the world. Our health care budget is approaching $2 trillion annually and Americans spend over $150 billion on prescription drugs. Instead of gaining health from all this money that is spent, we have the highest rate of chronic degenerative disease in the world. Obviously something is drastically wrong. One aspect of the problem may be explained in a recently published book titled The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs (How to maintain good nutrition while using prescription drugs) by Ross Pelton, Rh.D. and James LaVaIIe, Rh. D.

These two outstanding pharmacists and educators in the field of health and nutrition, alert health professionals and consumers to the fact that approximately 1,000 commonly prescribed prescription drugs and many over-the-counter (OTC) medications deplete one or more nutrients in humans. Could it be possible that millions of people are taking medications that unknowingly deplete their bodies of essential nutrients, which in turn creates more health problems?

According to the authors, studies ? reporting drug-induced nutrient depletions have been appearing in the scientific literature for decades. However, most of this information did not get publicized to health professionals or the general public. Literally hundreds of scientific studies remained buried in a myriad of scientific journals throughout the world. Now that all this research has been rounded up, organized and reported in one book, the topic of drug-induced nutrient depletions is beginning to receive the recognition that it deserves.

Commonly prescribed drugs that cause nutrient depletions include oral contraceptives, estrogen replacement therapy medications, anticonvulsants, antidietetic, antihypertensive, antiinflammatory and ulcer drugs, cholesterollowering drugs, beta blockers, phenothiazines, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and antibiotics. In fact, a survey of prescription drug use revealed that 12 of the top 20 drugs prescribed in the United States are drugs that can cause serious nutrient depletions. Thus it is evident that this problem is affecting the lives and health of tens of millions of people.

Many individuals who regularly take medications may not be adversely affected by the nutrient depletions. However, consider the following facts. Millions of people regularly eat nutritionally- deficient meals at fast food restaurants. A nutritional survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 80 percent of Americans do not consume the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for one or more of the essential nutrients on a daily basis. Results from the government-sponsored National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-Il) revealed that 91 percent of Americans do not eat the suggested servings of vegetables and fruits on a daily basis. In addition to these nutritional problems, many people also have fast-paced, high-stress lifestyles, can’t find time to exercise and live in a world where environment a pollution is at an all-time high. Now if we give drugs to people who are sick and those drugs further deplete their bodies of nutrients, it just increases the likelihood that additional health problems will develop. Following are a few examples of nutrient depletion caused by major categories of prescription drugs.

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

In 2001, oral contraceptives constituted the seventh largest category of prescription drugs in the United States, accounting for more than 82 million prescriptions written, which represented approximately 2.6 percent of the total prescription drug market.

Oral contraceptives deplete folic acid, vitamins B6, B12, B1, B2, B3, vitamin c and minerals magnesium, selenium and zinc.

Oral contraceptives and folic acid depletion: Folic acid depletion can cause some serious health problems, especially in women. Folic acid deficiency can cause anemia, birth defects, cervical dysplasia, elevated homocysteine, headache, fatigue, depression, hair loss, anorexia, insomnia, diarrhea, nausea and increased infections. Folie acid deficiency also is associated with an increased risk for developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer.

Oral contraceptive and vitamin B6 depletion: Depletion of vitamin Bg (pyridoxine) can cause depression and insomnia and it poses an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Oral contraceptives and vitamin B12 depletion: Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia, which results in fatigue, tiredness and weakness. Vitamin B12 deficiency is a common cause of depression, especially in elderly people. Inadequate B12 also causes elevated homocysteine, which poses a seriously increased risk of cardiovascular disease. If serious B12 deficiencies are not corrected, long-term irreversible neurological damage can occur.

Oral contraceptive deplete vitamin B1: A deficiency of vitamin B1 can cause depression, irritability, memory loss, muscle weakness and edema.

Oral contraceptives and vitamin B12 depletion: Symptoms associated with vitamin B2 (riboflavin) deficiency include problems with the skin, eyes, mucous membrane and nerves.

Oral contraceptives and vitamin B3 depletion: Women have disturbances in the metabolism of tryptophan and outbreaks of pellagra at twice the rate of men.

Oral contraceptives and vitamin c depletion: Vitamin C depletion can result in a weakened immune system. Low levels of vitamin C can accelerate aging damage because of increased free radical damage. In one study, ophthalmologists expressed their concern that vitamin C depletion might increase the risk of developing glaucoma and cataracts.

Oral contraceptives and magnesium depletion: In general, magnesium depletion can cause cardiac arrhythmias, high blood pressure and various other cardiovascular-related problems, osteoporosis, muscle cramps, PMS and an increase in the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.

Oral contraceptives and and selenium depletion: Selenium is an important antioxidant nutrient. A deficiency of selenium increases the risk for diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. People who are selenium-deficient are subject to increased free radical damage, which accelerates the aging process.

Oral contraceptives and zinc depletion: Zinc is a mineral that is important to the immune system. A zinc deficiency can cause slow healing of wounds and a weakened immune system. A zinc deficiency also results in insulin resistance, a loss of the senses of taste and smell and infertility and sexual dysfunction in both men and women.

ULCER MEDICATIONS

Ulcer medication is one of the largest selling category of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. There are two main classes of ulcer medications. The first group (cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine and nizatadine) belong to a class of drugs known as the H-2 Receptor Antagonists or H-2 Blockers. More recently a class of drugs known as the proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole and lansoprazole) have become very successful. Omeprazole has been one of the top selling prescription drugs in the United States, accounting for nearly $3 billion in annual sales.

These drugs function by lowering the amount of stomach acid, which can relieve the pain associated with heartburn, acid indigestion and ulcers. However the level of acidity in the gastrointestinal tract is a critical factor that regulates the absorption of many nutrients. In the process of making the GI tract less acidic, ulcer medications inhibit the absorption of various vitamins and minerals. Studies have reported that H-2 receptor antagonists deplete vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin D and the minerals calcium, iron and zinc. Because the proton pump inhibitors are a newer class of drugs, fewer studies have been conducted regarding nutrient depletions. To date vitamin B12 is the only vitamin that has been documented to be depleted by the proton pump inhibitors. There is an added concern regarding the H-2 receptor antagonists because the FDA has allowed them to be taken off prescription-only status. This means people can have unlimited access to these medications without any monitoring or advice from health professionals.

The possible health problems related to the depletion of folic acid, vitamin B12 and zinc were mentioned earlier during the discussion of oral contraceptives. Additional nutrient depletions associated with ulcer drugs include the following. Depletion of vitamin D could result in skeletal problems such as osteoporosis as well as muscle weakness, tooth decay and hearing loss. Problems associated with calcium depletion include osteoporosis, heart and blood pressure irregularities and tooth decay. Depletion of iron could result in hair loss, brittle nails and anemia, with accompanying feelings of weakness, fatigue and low energy.

CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUGS

The pharmaceutical alternative for hypercholesterolemic people is to use cholesterol lowering medications called statins. The term statin is a common term used for this drug category because they all end with the suffix “-statin.” Commonly used drugs in this category include atorvastatin (Lipi\tor), cerivastatin (Baycol), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol) and simvastatin (Zocor). Statins are the top-selling drugs in America with projected sales in 2004 to reach $19 billion. However, statins are associated with many negative side effects including liver problems, cancer, nerve damage and depletion of CoQ19. The “statin” drugs work on the enzyme HMG CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme responsible for cholesterol synthesis. CoQ10 also shares this same biosynthetic pathway. Therefore, one unfortunate consequence of consuming a statin drug is the unintentional inhibition of CoQ10 synthesis.

Coenzyme Q10 is an extremely important antioxidant that also performs vital roles in generating energy in the mitochondria of all cells. Because the heart is the most active muscle in the human body, a decline in energy resulting from a deficiency of CoQ10 first affects the heart, and now it is thought that a CoQ10 deficiency might be one of the main causes of congestive heart failure. In addition to providing antioxidant protection within the mitochondria, coenzyme Q10 protects LDL cholesterol from free radical oxidation. Individuals who are deficient in coenzyme Q10 are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and also incur more free radical damage, which accelerates the aging process.

The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs is available from Morton Publishing Company at 1.800.348.3777 or www.morton-pub.com.

Retail price is $19.95.

by totalhealth editors

Copyright Total Health Communications Oct/Nov 2004