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According to the results of a recent study, the administration of a drug would be faster depending on the position of the body (standing, sitting, lying down, etc.). Discover the right posture for better efficiency.
The most common choice for taking medication is orally. For better absorption, the researchers of a study wondered if our posture influences the speed of dissolution of a tablet and therefore the speed of its effects on the body.
A study that replicated how the stomach works
Professor Rajat Mittal and his colleagues from Johns-Hopkins University located in Baltimore (USA), have reproduced the functioning of a human stomach – more precisely, its role in dissolving food – thanks to a biomimetic simulator called “StomachSim”. In order to check how the stomach dissolves a tablet, the study researchers tested the simulator from four sides: standing, lying on the back, on the right side and on the left side.
“Our stomach functions primarily as a grinder, mixer and sieve of food”explains Professor Rajat Mittal to our colleagues from Sciences et Avenir.
Direction the small intestine, as quickly as possible!
Results: Lying on your right side would allow the drug to dissolve and get to the small intestine more quickly. Indeed, it would only take the drug about 10 minutes to reach this organ.
“Common sense dictates that one adopt a seated or upright position, however, due to the asymmetrical shape of the stomach, it has been found that lying on the right side allows a tablet to dissolve 2.3 times faster“, specifies the main author of the study.
“The walls of the small intestine have anatomical features that allow these nutrients to be absorbed and transported to our body as well as to the bloodstream” recalls Rajat Mittal. Almost all of the absorption of nutrients from food such as the active pharmaceutical agent (API) of a drug takes place in the duodenum. This is the main part of the small intestine. It is mainly used for digestion. Hence the importance of lying on your right side so that the medicine dissolves and takes effect quickly.
By adopting a sitting or lying position, the tablet has a strong chance of falling to the bottom of the stomach. Thereafter, he cannot exercise his full potential. While standing, it would take about 23 minutes to dissolve. While lying on your back it would last around 30 minutes and over 100 minutes while lying on your left side.
Towards further studies?
The study demonstrates the importance of our position when taking a medication. “I never wondered if I was doing it right or wrong, but now I will definitely think about it every time I take a pill”says Professor Rajat Mittal.
“The study of drug dissolution is just the beginning. We are focused on applying StomachSim for other projects, including better understanding of gastric diseases,” he concludes.
Some gastric pathologies disturb the proper functioning of the stomach in the absorption of a tablet. This is why the researchers wish to look into this subject for their next work.