When posture matters: scientists told how to take pills

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (USA) found that the position of the human body affects the rate of absorption of oral medications by the stomach. This is discussed in the study , the results of which were shared by experts.

Drinking a pill is quite simple and fast. Perhaps this is the most popular method of treatment today. However, we notice that drugs are not always effective and this is not related to the quality of the drugs, the researchers noted.

They explained that the "bioavailability of the drug" depends on various factors, including the dynamic physiological environment of the stomach, as well as the "comfortable posture for swallowing the tablet."

Gastric peristalsis and dynamics play a role in drug bioavailability, and gastric contractions can induce pressure and generate complex trajectories for the tablet. This leads to different rates of tablet dissolution and uneven release of the drug in the duodenum, experts warned.

In order to find out how external factors affect the absorption of the drug in the body, scientists simulated different situations when the pills enter the human stomach.

The model allowed the researchers to calculate and compare the rate of release of the dissolved active pharmaceutical ingredient into the duodenum in various physiological situations.

At the end of the experiment, they came to the conclusion that the posture in which a person drinks the medicine is of no small importance.

Body tilt to the right accelerates the absorption of tablets. Also, drugs dissolve a little faster when the body is tilted back at 45°. Leaning to the left slows down the process, the scientists concluded.

They also emphasized that their study will be useful both for pharmaceutical companies and patients who are trying to achieve the greatest effect from taking drugs.