It is also possible for drugs to interfere with a person’s nutritional status. Some drugs interfere with the absorption of a nutrient. Other drugs affect the body’s use and/or excretion of nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals. If less of a nutrient is available to the body because of these effects, this may lead to a nutrient deficiency.
Sometimes drugs affect nutritional status by increasing or decreasing appetite. This affects the amount of food (and nutrients) consumed. Some specific examples of drug/nutrient interactions are given in Table 2.