- Feb 5, 2002
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Maybe you’ve got a headache. Or your back is acting up again after a particularly active weekend. In any case, you've got some pain. And the modern solution to that discomfort (along with countless other ailments) is to pop a pill. You could also be one of the 86% of Americans that regularly takes a vitamin or supplement. Down the hatch! You're probably not thinking about your body position when you take a pill, right?
I definitely don't. I know some people only take a pill with a proper amount of water (eight ounces, ideally at room temperature), but I've been known to toss back my medication or supplements with coffee, a protein shake or, I'm afraid to say, a beer. But a new Johns Hopkins University study has found that your posture can make a big difference in how fast your body absorbs the pill. And the wrong posture can delay how fast the medicine is broken down and absorbed—by as much as an hour or more. That's a huge difference. Especially when you're taking a pain reliever.
Researchers found that the ideal position is reclining, while leaning to your right side. This speeds up absorption of the pill by about 13 minutes, compared to simply staying upright. Leaning to the left, however, was found to slow absorption by more than an hour.
Continued below.
I definitely don't. I know some people only take a pill with a proper amount of water (eight ounces, ideally at room temperature), but I've been known to toss back my medication or supplements with coffee, a protein shake or, I'm afraid to say, a beer. But a new Johns Hopkins University study has found that your posture can make a big difference in how fast your body absorbs the pill. And the wrong posture can delay how fast the medicine is broken down and absorbed—by as much as an hour or more. That's a huge difference. Especially when you're taking a pain reliever.
Researchers found that the ideal position is reclining, while leaning to your right side. This speeds up absorption of the pill by about 13 minutes, compared to simply staying upright. Leaning to the left, however, was found to slow absorption by more than an hour.
Continued below.
