Nutrient Depletion from Commonly
Prescribed Allergy Drugs

During the digestive process, your body breaks down food into nutrients that are then transported to every cell by way of your cardiovascular system. If you supplement your diet with vitamins and other nutrients, the process is the same except that the vitamins and nutrients are ready for immediate transport—you don’t have to first break down food first.

Unfortunately, most drugs disrupt this nutritional sequence—and that includes the allergy medications that many people will soon start to take now that spring is almost here. So, with these particular medications points in mind, I want to focus your attention on the nutrients that are depleted by many common allergy drugs.

Most allergy medicine comes from a class of drugs known as antihistamines. Nasal corticosteroids and bronchodilators are also commonly prescribed to treat allergies and other respiratory conditions. One type of asthma drugs (leukotriene receptor antagonists and leukotriene inhibitors) have not yet revealed any nutrient-depletion effects, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until we discover what it is that they rob the body of.

Antihistamines

Ironically, if you take an antihistamine for a cold or sinus condition, you’re actually depleting your body of a vitamin that is particularly useful for your condition—vitamin C. Whenever you take an antihistamine, I recommend a minimum dosage of 90 mg of vitamin C per day for adult men and 75 mg per day for adult women.

Additionally, foods that are high in vitamin C should be included in your diet—such as oranges, kiwis, cantaloupe, black currants, papaya, guava, red pepper, green pepper, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Nasal Corticosteroids

If your doctor prescribes nasal corticosteroids (such as Fluticasone propionate, Mometasone, Triamcinolone acetonide, Flunisolide, and Budesonide) for a respiratory problem, the nutrients that may be depleted are calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, melatonin, folic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C, D, and K.

Here are my recommended doses for these nutrients along with food sources for each:

Calcium: Up to 500 mg per day for men and 1,000 mg per day for women 19–50; 1,200 mg per day for women 51 and older. My recommended food sources are nonfat milk, lowfat yogurt, figs, Swiss cheese, salmon, spinach, tofu, broccoli, almonds, and papaya.

Magnesium: 400–800 mg per day for men and women with good sources from food including avocados, wheat germ, almonds, shredded wheat cereal, pumpkin seeds, cashews, spinach, potatoes, soybeans, and peanuts.

Potassium: For men and women 19 and older, I recommend 99 mg three times per day. You can get potassium from food by eating figs, avocados, papaya, bananas, dates, bulgur, skim milk, guava, cantaloupe, and fresh squeezed orange juice. However, a baked potato is the best source.

Selenium: 100 mcg per day for men and women 19 and older. The best food sources are Brazil nuts, canned tuna, beef liver, cod, oven roasted turkey breast, lean beef chuck roast, enriched whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and eggs. (Note: the amount of selenium in many of these foods will vary depending on the amount of selenium in the soil.)

Zinc: For men 19 and older take 15–45 mg per day; for women aged 19 and older take 8–30 mg per day. Food sources include oysters, beef shank, chicken legs, pork tenderloin, yogurt, baked beans, cashews, pecans, Swiss cheese, and milk.

Melatonin: When taking medicine that depletes melatonin (thus making it difficult to sleep), I recommend a daily dose of at least 0.5 mg. Your body can also produce melatonin from the nutrients it gets from bananas, barley, ginger, rice, and corn.

Folic Acid: Adult men and women should take at least 400 mcg per day. Some food sources are beef liver, spinach, great northern beans, asparagus, wheat germ, fresh squeezed orange juice, turnip greens, vegetarian baked beans, and broccoli.

Vitamin A: 3,000 IU per day for men 19 and older and 2,330 IU per day for women 19 and older. Food sources include beef liver, chicken liver, whole milk, and cheddar cheese.

Vitamin B6: 5.2 mg per day for men and women aged 19–50; 6.8 mg per day for men over age 51; 6 mg per day for women over 51. Food sources include potatoes, bananas, garbanzo beans, chicken breast, oatmeal, pork loin, mackerel, snapper, wheat germ, and walnuts.

Vitamin C: As I mentioned above, I recommend 90 mg per day for adult men and 75 mg per day for adult women.

Vitamin D: 400 IU per day for men and women 19–50; 600 IU per day for men and women 51–69; and 800 IU for men and women 70 and older. Foods include salmon, mackerel, sardines, eel, and vitamin D-fortified milk.

Vitamin K: I recommend 150 mcg a day of vitamin K2 derived from menaquinone-7, or MK-7. MK-7 is the most absorbable and active form of vitamin K. Good food sources for vitamin K include kale, broccoli, parsley, Swiss chard, spinach, leaf lettuce, watercress, and soybean oil.

Bronchodilators

People with asthma or a number of other respiratory problems that include wheezing and shortness of breath as symptoms are prescribed bronchodilators (such as Albuterol Aerosol, Theophylline, Salmeterol, and Fluticasone). These drugs may also deplete your body of calcium, magnesium, and potassium—three of the minerals that are depleted by nasal corticosteroids—so check with my above recommendations for these three minerals.

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