The body needs fuel to function, and this fuel is food! The food we eat contains energy and nutrients that we need to maintain normal bodily functions, but also to be able to live our lives. In this article, we list four things that sabotage your nutrient absorption and how you can get around them.
There are two types of nutrients – energy and non-energy. The energizing nutrients consist of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Non-energizing nutrients are vitamins, minerals and various types of trace elements. These nutrients are essential, in other words, essential! They are needed to keep our organs healthy, and for the body to function normally.
In order to get all the nutrients that the body needs, it is important to eat varied and to eat nutrient-dense food – i.e. food that contains a lot of nutrients in relation to the energy content. Something else that is important to consider is the nutrient uptake. Unfortunately, just because we eat nutritiously, it is not certain that we will absorb all the nutrition from our food. Different nutrients affect each other, and lifestyle factors can sabotage nutrient absorption. Below we list four common nutrition thieves.
1. Tea and coffee
Tannins found in tea and chlorogenic acid found in coffee have an inhibitory effect on the absorption of iron in the body. For example, it has been shown that if you drink tea or coffee in connection with a meal, iron absorption can be reduced by up to about 60 percent. Tea and coffee also affect the absorption of other minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and zinc.
To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to wait at least an hour after meals before drinking coffee or tea.
2. Overtraining
Hard exercise is stressful for the body and after a tough workout, both the immune system and the intestinal flora are negatively affected. If you exercise a lot and hard for longer periods of time, it can deplete the stores of, among other things, vitamins A, C, E and B, as well as iron, magnesium and calcium. For those who train hard, it is therefore extra important to think about the diet and make sure that you cover your entire nutritional and calorie needs.
3. Antibiotics and other medications
Medication with antibiotics and other drugs is sometimes necessary to treat various ailments and health problems. However, a course of antibiotics can knock out up to 90 percent of the intestinal flora. The over-the-counter drug aspirin can also prevent the absorption of vitamin C, which has a protective effect on the gastric mucosa.
During a course of antibiotics, you can advantageously take a supplement of lactic acid bacteria to compensate for the effect on the intestinal flora. However, it is important that you wait at least two hours after taking the antibiotic before taking the Synbiotic. During drug treatment, it is also important to eat an nutritious and healthy diet.
4. Stress
When you are stressed, vitamins-B, C and magnesium are consumed faster than usual, which is paradoxical because they are extra important for the body during stress. B-vitamins are, among other things, crucial for keeping the nervous system on track. Vitamin C supports the adrenal glands responsible for regulating the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Magnesium helps regulate heart rate, lower blood pressure and stimulates the neurotransmitter GABA, which prevents nerve cells from being overstimulated.
Prolonged high stress has a similar effect to hard exercise on the body, where both the immune system and intestinal flora are affected. Therefore, be sure to eat extra nutritiously during stressful periods and try to find healthy ways to unwind.
References:
Hurrell RF, Reddy M, Cook JD. Inhibition of non-haem iron absorption in man by polyphenolic-containing beverages. Br J Nutr. 1999 Apr;81(4):289-95.
Lopresti AL. The Effects of Psychological and Environmental Stress on Micronutrient Concentrations in the Body: A Review of the Evidence. Adv Nutr. 2020;11(1):103-112. doi:10.1093/advances/nmz082
Maier L, Goemans CV, Wirbel J, Kuhn M, Eberl C, Pruteanu M, Müller P, Garcia-Santamarina S, Cacace E, Zhang B, Gekeler C, Banerjee T, Anderson EE, Milanese A, Löber U, Forslund SK, Patil KR, Zimmermann M, Stecher B, Zeller G, Bork P, Typas A. Unravelling the collateral damage of antibiotics on gut bacteria. Nature. 2021 Nov;599(7883):120-124.
Morck TA, Lynch SR, Cook JD. Inhibition of food iron absorption by coffee. Am J Clin Nutr. 1983 Mar;37(3):416-20.
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