Podcast: Listeria; Vitamin B & heart attaks; juice & medications

Listeria; Vitamin B and heart attacks; understanding health research; juice and its affects on medications (beta blockers)

This month on the HealthyCanada.com podcast: Toby Ward and Dr. Art Hister welcome Claire Sowerbutt from http://www.knowitallhealth.com/ to the podcast to discuss:

Listeria outbreak

"For those with compromised immune systems, the elderly... and pregnant women, it won't probably won't hurt the woman all that much (probably a mild infection), but it can lead to stillbirths, miscarriages, and severe infections in the fetus" says Dr. Art. "Avoid the foods that carry it, especially if you're in a high-risk category. Unfortunately there are a lot of good foods in that category...

Soft, unpasteurized cheeses (e.g. Brie, Camembert, etc.)
Hotdogs
Deli meats
Smoked fish

"They're warning us to cook these deli meats and that's all very nice if you're talking about a hot dog, but if you're talking about a luncheon meat... who does that?!" exclaims Drt. Art.

Juice and its affect on certain medications

"There's a chemical in it (juice) -a particular enzyme- that affects the transport of the drug (certain drugs including beta blockers and antibiotics) across the small intestine," says Dr. Hister. "And its important to underline that it is likely true that it (juice) affects many other types of drugs too and just because your drug is not mentioned in the study doesn't mean it's not affected."

"My guess is that there is going to be other foods (found to affect the absorption rate of certain drugs)."

Dr. Art additionally recommends: always take medication only with water - cool water.

Listen to this month's podcast on Listeria, health research, Vitamin B and heart attacks, and the affects of juice on medications