Why do medications say to be taken with food or milk? What can milk do as a liquid to substitute for solid food?
In: Biology
milk is pretty “substantive” in terms of nutritional density; and regular density (stuff in your belly)…..
some medications work best if they are absorbed like other vitamins; some medicine works best if your body is more foucsed on handling digestion ( reducing risk of neasuea)
It’s just to protect your stomach. Milk (and food) first, then medz make it less likely you get irritated stomach
As others have said, sometimes it’s about protecting your stomach lining, but also it’s because some medications are fat soluble and require fat to be absorbed. Which is also why milk works, because it has fat in it. Same reason why you should always take vitamin D tablets with food.
We’re mammals. We’re supposed to drink milk. And you can totally survive on milk only. Milk is fatty, fairly calorie dense and staple of word “food”. “Solid food” isn’t all that solid either, you’re moisturising and chewing it in your mouth. Plus it mixes with liquids and acid in your stomach. So there’s no big difference.
Milk is basically a liquid food. We seriously underestimate how much raw calories we get from a glass of cow product
It’s just to help digest the meds. Some people’s stomachs might get irritated by the medicine. Personally I can take my medication on an empty stomach even though one of them states to take it with food.
I dont know the specifics, but some medicines can damage your stomach. I took Ibuprofen on an empty stomach once and MAN I am never doing that again.
Usually it’s recommended to eat food with medicine, but milk has some stuff in it that other drinks don’t – fat, nutrients, whatever. As a result, it can sometimes protect your stomach from harsh medicines the same way food does.
> What can milk do as a liquid to substitute for solid food?
It can turn little baby cows into 600lb. grown-up cows… in only 6 months. It’s as food as food gets.
It’s thicker and has some fats in it that can coat your stomach and protect it.
If a med says to take it with food, do it. I didn’t once and ended up burning a hole in my stomach, one of the worst pains ever.
Most of these replies are wrong. Milk is considered a solid food in your stomach because milk proteins essentially solidify on contact with stomach acid. Just look at infant puke, even if they only have milk (even breast milk) it comes up looking like watery cottage cheese.
This is why, for example, when you are going to have general anesthesia you can have clear liquids 6 hours before surgery but solids (and milk) 12 hours before surgery. This is also why the “milk challenge” where you have to drink a gallon of milk all at once is so difficult whereas drinking a gallon of water is not (still ill advisable, though).
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