About Medications & Nutrition

Our goal is to help people understand the nutritional ramifications of pharmaceuticals in human bodies by providing easy to access information and a plethora of resources. We want to give both healthcare providers and patients the knowledge to make informed decisions about medications and diet for better overall health.

What is our philosophy?

Our philosophy is to provide as much of the credible research that is accessible to us, in one place to increase ease of use for busy clinicians, and consequently enhance improvement in the outcomes of those in their care.

To achieve this, we provide all information:

• In easy to read dot points
• With the necessary references
• Alongside resources demonstrating how to apply the information in a clinically meaningful format.

We have the highest editorial standards, ensuring that all information we provide is verifiably credible.

Our sources include the Product Information documents from commercial sources such as MIMS and Martindale, and regulatory bodies such as the USA's FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the European Union's EMA (European Medical Agency). Other evidence is located by searching databases such as PubMed and then finding the individual articles.

Where did we come from?

We worked in a post-acute rehabilitation and transition aged care facility in the 1990s, where we frequently saw elderly people prescribed 12+ different medications. This resulted in copious amounts of tablets being consumed on a daily basis – to the point where some patients were consuming 30+ tablets per day.

The elderly people were often frail, dealing with many losses, were often losing weight, had poor appetites, and were not always responding well to rehabilitation interventions. This led us to question the impact of all those different medicines on their nutritional health and how much it was impacting their responses.

At the time, information on the impact of prescribed medicine on nutrition factors was scarce, due to factors such as a lack of internet, long delays in requests for research articles, limited research, etc.

This led to the creation of a table, in which all of this research has been collated for quick access. We now have this information ready for use in our clinical assessments.

Meet Yvonne Coleman

Yvonne Coleman, founder of Medications & Nutrition, has the following qualifications: 

• Bachelor of Applied Science (Food Science & Nutrition)
• Graduate Diploma in Dietetics
• Graduate Diploma in Health Education & Promotion
• 30+ years of clinical experience in both the Public Health System (Australia and Overseas), and the Residential Aged Care Sector
• Professional speaker at multiple international, national and local conferences – topics including aged care, drugs and nutrition
  • Most recently a case study presentation at the Dietitians Association of Australia National Conference 2019 (Gold Coast)
• Writer of multiple publications, including:
  • Food Fun: Food Based Activities for Groups (2017)
  • Finger Foods: A Three-Week Menu & Recipes (2005, also available in large print)
  • Medications & Nutrition (2016 - current), formerly Medications & Nutrition A Reference for Busy Clinicians (2008-2016) and Drug-Nutrient Interactions: The Manual (1995-2007)

Yvonne Coleman’s published journal articles:

Coleman, Y. (2003). Drug-Nutrient Interaction Guide: Part 1. The Journal of Complementary Medicine: CM, 2(3), 77–84. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.847563056559382 

Coleman, Y. (2003). Drug-Nutrient Interaction Guide: Part 2. The Journal of Complementary Medicine: CM, 2(4), 77–82. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.846650040967730

Coleman, Y. (2010). The Impact of Medication on Nutritional Status of Older People. In: Koch, S., Gloth, F., Nay, R. (eds) Medication Management in Older Adults. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-457-9_6 

Coleman, Y. (2006). Nutritional implications of the use of frusemide in older people. Geriaction, 24(3), 17–18. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.449247604839357 

Coleman, Y., Welsh, S., & McMahon, J. (2000). Nutrition and falls. Geriaction, 18(2), 12–13. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/ielapa.451613992189148 

You can find more about Yvonne Coleman and her journey to promote awareness of this oversight in healthcare at:

• Yvonne Coleman on LinkedIn
• Yvonne Coleman on AusMed
• Yvonne Coleman on The Pharmacist Edit Podcast
• Yvonne Coleman on The FX Medicine Podcast