A lot of us take pills nearly every day, and the process is pretty much set in stone. Take pill, drink water, swallow – easy! But a new study has revealed that there may be a more efficient way to take our medicine.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the USA have published a research paper that may turn pill-taking on its head – or at least on its side. The research suggests that the most efficient method of pill-taking, which increases absorption of the drugs carried in your pill or capsule, is to swallow them while leaning 45 degrees to the right.
The reason this seems to be effective is that it allows for the contents of the stomach to move into the lower intestine faster, which is where most drugs are absorbed – though some do start being absorbed in the stomach.
“We were very surprised that posture had such an immense effect on the dissolution rate of a pill,” said Johns Hopkins University Professor Rajat Mittal, a senior author on the study.
“I never thought about whether I was doing it right or wrong, but now I’ll definitely think about it every time I take a pill.”
The research was based on a digital simulation of stomach anatomy called, unsurprisingly, StomachSim. The simulation modelled several positions – standing straight, leaning to the left or right, and sitting down. By changing posture, it was found that material could reach the lower intestine up to 83 per cent faster.
“For elderly, sedentary or bedridden people, whether they’re turning to the left or to the right can have a huge impact,” Prof. Mittal added.
Now that’s what we call a new angle on health.
