by Dr. Leo Galland
In Aspirin and Vitamin C, we looked at research on how using a nutritional supplement could help reduce a common side effect of taking aspirin. Today we discuss two other supplements that could help with stomach damage.
Two other dietary supplements that have been studied for their potential to help reduce aspirin’s damage to the stomach are DGL, which stands for deglycyrrhizinated licorice, and SAMe, which stands for S-adenosyl-methionine. In research studies each of these supplements were shown to decrease bleeding in the stomach when given at the same time as aspirin. The research with DGL was conducted at the Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland and the research with SAMe was done in Argentina.
No dietary supplement is guaranteed to prevent aspirin-induced gastrointestinal damage.
If you are taking aspirin, ask your doctor whether vitamin C, DGL or SAMe might be good take along with it and check out Pill Advised for more information on interactions between drugs and vitamin supplements.
References and Abstract:
Acta Gastroenterol Latinoam. 1984;14(4):289-93.[Prostaglandin E1 (misoprostol) and S-adenosylmethionine in the prevention of hemorrhagic gastritis induced by aspirin in the human. Endoscopic, histologic and histochemical study][Article in Spanish]Laudanno OM, Finkelstein D, Capdepon E.
On 58 healthy subjects, it was evaluated in endoscopic and histopathologic form, the cytoprotective effect on the gastroduodenal mucosa, such of T.G.E 1 (misoprostol) as of SAMe, in the present of acute bleeding gastritis induced by 1300 mg aspirin in a single dose and during 2 hours. SAMe was given in progressive doses up to 500 mg, which were ingested simultaneously with aspirin, and so with Misoprostol in doses of 50 mg, showed an endoscopic score of 0 without microscopic lesion of the gastroduodenal mucosa, this was confirmed by the histopathology, where both drugs give a cytoprotection of the gastroduodenal mucosa by about 95% of total biopsies gastrointestinal mucosa. It is suggest that T.G.E.1 (misoprostol) and SAMe are choice drugs in the treatment of hemorrhagic gastritis.
