A friend recently told me that molybdenum wasn't doing very much to alleviate nausea and vomiting from a "stomach bug" going around her family. Although there appeared to be some reduction of nausea severity, everyone was still eventually throwing up despite taking molybdenum. This confused me because one of my children--and our children had been around each other recently--had reported feeling ill during this period and then responded very quickly to molybdenum with a total cessation of symptoms. My friend then informed me that she always gave her children Sprite to try to settle their stomachs and had done so during this period, too.
I did a little research and found that the molybdenum-cofactor-using enzyme sulfite oxidase--the one I hypothesize to be behind molybdenum's helpful effect on nausea--functions optimally at a pH of 8.5. That is alkaline. Sprite has a pH of around 3.3, per a dentistry website (see https://www.sheltondentistry.com/patient-information/ph-values-common-drinks/). 3.3 is very acidic. The pH of the first part of the small intestine ranges from 5 all the way up to 8, so it seems like it would be a good idea not to reduce that pH with a very acidic beverage.
I passed on to my friend what I'd learned, and she stopped giving Sprite to her family members. The ones to whom she gave molybdenum (a conservative dose because she's careful with medicines and supplements) and to whom she did not give Sprite did not throw up despite obvious signs of having the same virus that had been going around the family.
To make a long story short, it appears that avoiding acidic drinks when taking molybdenum for gastroenteritis symptoms increases its effectiveness.
Because a glass of water can sometimes trigger vomiting when nauseated, I wouldn't be surprised if it's best to avoid quickly drinking large amounts of any fluid when suffering from nausea and/or abdominal cramps. My family always just chews the tablets without drinking anything with them, so I wouldn't have realized this new refinement without my friend's input. I'm grateful for good friends.
(Disclaimer: I do not prescribe the use of pharmaceutical drugs in any way. I am not a physician, and I reject out of hand any attempt to hold me liable for what boils down to a discussion of food. Any use of a molybdenum supplement should be prudent and guided by the tested tolerable upper intake levels for its usage (see http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/molybdenum for those limits). Any use of an isolated molybdenum supplement during pregnancy should be under the direction of a medical professional as such supplements have apparently not been tested during pregnancy.)
Spot the robot #61
4 hours ago
