Just a slosh of milk to whiten your coffee is enough to limit or even block the effect of some antibiotics and osteoporosis medications, German pharmacists are warning. Food-drug combinations can have unwanted consequences, but many people don’t think of coffee as a culprit. The Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA) explains that the calcium in milk binds with certain drugs in the digestive tract to form less soluble compounds that cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream. That’s why German pharmacies warn customers that patients taking any antibiotics or osteoporosis drugs should not drink a cup of coffee with milk for at least 2 hours after. There are other ‘interactions’ too. Patients who take anticoagulants, also called Vitamin K antagonists, should avoid ‘goji’ berries. Although the mechanism behind the interaction remains unclear, the ABDA says, the berries increase the drugs’ effect and can cause bleeding. Liquorice is another food that sometimes carries risks. Since it contains substances that raise blood pressure, it can reduce the effect of hypertension medications, the ABDA says. In addition, it stimulates the release of potassium by the kidneys, which can lead to muscle weakness. The ABDA recommends that people with high blood pressure eat little or no liquorice. Grapefruit and pomelos should be avoided by patients taking drugs to treat high blood cholesterol levels, or drugs that suppress the immune system - for example after an organ transplant. The ABDA says that chemicals in these fruits unfavourably affect the breakdown and transportation of the drugs in the body, which could either intensify or diminish their effect.
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