Vitamins Information
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Health Tip
Plavix Less Effective in Some Patients
Vitamin C: Tips For Increasing Your Intake
A new RDA?
According to a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the National Institutes of Health is taking another look at the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C. The current RDA for vitamin C is 60 milligrams per day—about the amount you get from one orange. Due to recent findings on the potential health benefits of this wonder vitamin, the NIH is now considering boosting the RDA to somewhere between 100 and 200 milligrams per day, two to three times the current recommendation.
Why all the hype?
Vitamin C has long been known for its value as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are natural compounds found in many of the foods we eat. The most well known antioxidants are vitamin C, selenium, beta carotene and vitamin E. Antioxidants work by inhibiting toxic substances in the body (also known as "free radicals") which may lead to the development of cancers, heart disease and the aging process. There has been a strong correlation between diets high in fruits and vegetables (which are rich in antioxidants) and reduced risk of chronic diseases. Vitamin C may account for much of this protection. However, we are also finding numerous other compounds within fruits and vegetables, collectively called "phytochemicals", that may also play a preventative role. Phytochemicals are defined simply as chemicals found in plants. They occur naturally in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. These substances, many of which also have an antioxidant effect, may protect our bodies from cellular damage that can lead to cancer and other chronic diseases.
Due to the strong correlation between diets abundant in fruits and vegetables and disease prevention, The National Cancer Institute launched the "5-A-Day" program. The basis of this campaign promotes the intake of a minimum of five fruits and vegetables daily as a good defense against cancer and other diseases. A specific recommendation of this program is to include vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables in the diet each day since vitamin C is a particularly well-researched antioxidant. The mainstay of the program, however, is that by eating five servings of produce daily we can easily take in not just a good dose of vitamin C, but the minimum amount of protective plant chemicals shown to be effective in reducing risk of chronic diseases. Remember, five is the minimum amount. In the case of fruits and veggies it's definitely a situation where more is better!
Heartburn Drugs Can Thwart Popular Blood Thinner
TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Combining the antacid Prilosec with the popular blood thinner Plavix (clopidogrel) can cut the effectiveness of Plavix by half, putting patients at risk for heart attack or stroke, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.
"These recommendations are based upon recently submitted studies by the manufacturer of clopidogrel [Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb]," Mary Ross Southworth, deputy director for safety with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products, said during a morning press conference.
"The results of those studies are to avoid the combination of those two medications," she said, adding that the tandem should be avoided even if the two drugs are taken hours apart.
Combining the two drugs is common because Plavix can upset the stomach. The FDA said patients taking Plavix can take alternatives to Prilosec, such as Mylanta, Maalox, or Zantac, Southworth said.
Prilosec is in a class of drugs called proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). Prilosec was singled out because it was the only PPI tested in studies submitted by the manufacturer of Plavix, Southworth said.
However, proton-pump inhibitors similar to Prilosec -- such as Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid and Protonix -- should also be avoided when taking Plavix, Southworth said.
Other drugs that may also interact with Plavix, making it less effective include: cimetidine (Tagamet), fluconazole (Diflucan), ketoconazole (Nizoral), voriconazole (Vfend), etravirine, felbamate (Felbatol), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and ticlopidine (Ticlid), according to the FDA.
Results of a study presented Monday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., also found that people taking the acid reflux drugs Prilosec or Protonix in combination with blood thinners such as Plavix had a higher risk for death after angioplasty than people who didn't take the two popular antacids.
In January, Sanofi and Bristol-Myers updated Plavix's labeling to advise against using it in combination with certain heartburn drugs, the Associated Press reported.
On Tuesday, Sanofi spokeswoman Noelle Boyd said the company had bolstered that language labeling. "We've strengthened the label to say that these drugs should be avoided altogether, not just discouraged," she said.
More information
For more on clopidogrel, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
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