“What are we eating tonight? » Many of us ask ourselves this question every day when looking at the contents of our fridge. But for many, the issue becomes a little more complicated when you have to take medication. What relationship? Whether for a temporary health problem or a chronic illness, many people follow a drug treatment prescribed by their doctor or a specialist. To find out the dosage, simply follow the instructions on the prescription: “one tablet every evening with a meal”, for example.
But beyond these basic indications, is there other information you need to know to take your treatment correctly and safely? Can the contents of our plate influence the effectiveness of our medications? Yes, and this is where the Eat’s OK app, launched in recent weeks, can help, by offering support to avoid interactions between medications and food.
Be careful with many foods
What is a drug interaction? “There is an interaction when one or more effects of a medication are modified by another product,” responds Health Insurance. This may be another medication taken as part of the same treatment, in which case we speak of a drug interaction. This interaction can also occur with a food, drink, dietary supplement, or tobacco consumption.”
A phenomenon that can cause three types of effects: “A reduction in the action of the drug. The product in question hinders its absorption or its action in the body, or even increases its elimination. For example, green tea prevents the body from properly absorbing iron orally. It therefore reduces the effectiveness of iron-based treatments, which can be prescribed in particular during pregnancy or against certain anemias, specifies Health Insurance. This can also cause an increase in the action of the medication: the product in question prevents its degradation by the body, or its elimination. This leads to risks of overdose and toxicity.
For example, turmeric, used as a spice or food coloring, can increase the action of antidiabetic drugs taken orally, and cause a risk of hypoglycemia. Or even an increase in certain side effects of the drug. These interactions are not easy to predict because it is very difficult to test all possible cases between all drugs, foods or drinks and tobacco.
A phenomenon which attracted the attention of Grégory Guilbert, doctor of pharmacy, founder of the company Pharmacodietetics and creator of the Eat’s OK app. After a career in communications and marketing, he returned to his studies at the age of 36 to become a pharmacist. “And in second year, during our pharmacology classes, we were told about the interactions between drugs and foods, for example grapefruit.” Consuming it can increase “the frequency and severity of adverse effects of certain medications” against cholesterol, immunosuppressants, antiarrhythmics, an antidepressant, or even docetaxel (Taxotere), used in breast cancer, confirms the National Agency medicine safety (ANSM).
“Supporting patients on a daily basis”
At the time, for the student pharmacist, it was “the click.” I told myself that as a patient who occasionally consumes medications, we don’t always have this information. This is how the idea of Eat’s OK was born, to offer a solution that meets this need and for as many people as possible. Depending on their pathologies and their treatment, many patients no longer know what to eat, it is a daily concern, notes Grégory Guilbert. And it is not always easy for them to navigate: to date, more than 65,000 medications are listed and for each, there are between 0 and 18 dietary recommendations. However, offering dietary measures adapted to treatments is also part of the management of chronic diseases, of better informing and supporting patients on a daily basis,” he argues. After twelve years of maturation and work, the app was launched in mid-September.
In practice, “the patient creates their account, enters their profile: age, height, sex and weight, so that we can precisely target their nutritional needs,” indicates Grégory Guilbert. Then he scans his medication boxes, enters the prescribed dosage, so at what time and how many medications he should take. From there, we offer him recipes adapted to his treatment and his possible allergies, and we also give him instructions on the foods to avoid and those to favor. Varied recipes established by our dietician in partnership with chefs, techniques for people who like to cook, or very simple to make in five minutes.”
And as the operation of the app is based on the medications prescribed, polypathological patients can also be advised. Thus, a patient, treated for example for type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, two very widespread chronic diseases, will be offered “recipes rather low in carbohydrates, to avoid hyperglycemia, and, if he takes a diuretic medication leading to a significant elimination of potassium, enriched in foods that have a high content, such as legumes.
Strengthen therapeutic compliance
Another functionality offered by the app, and “which is important, is the medication reminder”, underlines its creator. A detail far from being anecdotal since “for certain pathologies, certain foods are incompatible with treatments. In the case of Parkinson’s disease, treatment must therefore be taken away from proteins. So if the patient has to take their medication at 6 p.m. for example, they will receive a first notification to tell them not to eat proteins, then another at 6 p.m. to remind them to take their medication, and a last one at 8 p.m. to tell him that he can eat it again.”
In this way, “we ensure that the person does not forget their treatment, and that they do not consume foods likely to affect its effectiveness,” says Grégory Guilbert. This helps to strengthen therapeutic compliance.” A major public health problem, since according to an IMS Health publication cited by Health Insurance, “60% of patients with chronic illness do not properly comply with their treatments. The study indicates that 25% of prescribed medications are not taken by patients, a very common negligence among people suffering from an illness where the risk is fatal, thus leading each year to 12,000 deaths and 100,000 hospitalizations” in France.
From simple forgetfulness to fear of side effects, including the impression of being cured before the end of treatment, weariness and the high cost of the medication, the reasons are multiple, “but we can act,” assures Grégory Guilbert, and we hope to change the situation.”
