How to Prevent Malabsorption

Malabsorption occurs when certain nutrients ingested with food are not properly digested within the intestines. At times this is caused by a bona fide syndrome while at other times it is temporary and due to a person’s choice of food substances, medications, and over the counter remedies as well as the timing with which these are mixed. Unfortunately, not knowing that one food item may cancel out the effectiveness of a prescription drug could lead to some serious health problems--especially if the substance pairing continues on a daily basis. Learning how to prevent malabsorption is a vital aspect of eating and living healthy.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Rudimentary understanding of digestion
• Clock
• Survival kit
• Pad and pen
• Primary care physician

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Instructions

• 1

  Use the Internet whenever you are prescribed a new drug and thoroughly investigate on a number of reputable websites, such as WebMD. Learn about drug interactions, and also interactions with foods. Case in point is Lipitor, which should never be taken when grapefruit juice or the fruit itself has been ingested recently.

• 2

  Read the prescription drug inserts carefully. They spell out which medications this drug may have adverse interactions with. Known examples are the pairings of birth control pills and antibiotics.

• 3

  Check the nutritional impact drugs or over the counter remedies have on food. In some cases this may require you to do some extrapolation. For example, if you are seeking to lose weight with the help of Xenical, the fact that your gastrointestinal ability to absorb fat is impaired leads you to the conclusion that fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) need to be taken at a latter time when the drug has worn off. Failure to observe this intricacy leads to the malabsorption of various vital nutrients.

• 4

  Rely on your clock to time the ingestion of medications, vitamins, and basic nutrients to ensure no adverse reactions.

• 5

  Make good use of a basic survival kit when camping or hiking. Learning how to prevent malabsorption sometimes requires you not to introduce organisms into your body that could actually cause the problem in the first place. Drinking unfiltered water while out of doors has the potential of sending microorganisms to your gut that may then lodge there and siphon off the nutrients for their own use.

How to Prevent Future Malabsorption—Through Observation

• 6

  Observe your intestinal output. Is your urine oddly discolored? Perhaps it is bright yellow or orange. Maybe you notice an odd scent, the appearance of which coincides with the prescription of a certain drug. Similarly, take a closer look at your feces, especially if you think you notice foreign matter in it.

• 7

  Write down what you notice about your intestinal output and when. Be very specific about the time of day and what you ate within the last 12 hours. Note which medications you may have taken.

• 8

  Notice any changes in your condition. If you notice that bleeding is no longer as easily stopped as before, vitamin K malabsorption may be to blame. Conversely, muscle cramps and bone pain may be an indication of vitamin D deficiencies. Report these findings to your doctors as soon as possible.

• 9

  Visit your physician’s office and check for parasites in your gastrointestinal tract. A fecal sample is usually all that is required to note the presence of worms which can lead to a serious malabsorption of vitamin B12.

• 10

  Request a full physical exam to ensure that you do not suffer from other illnesses which may contribute to malabsorption.