Drug & supplement interaction

Acerola + Aluminum, Calcium

Aluminum, Calcium brand name: Domeboro.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Acerola has a minor interaction with Aluminum, Calcium. Theoretically, concomitant use of acerola with aluminum salts might increase the amount of aluminum absorbed.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Acerola and Aluminum, Calcium

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

ALUMINUM

Theoretically, concomitant use of acerola with aluminum salts might increase the amount of aluminum absorbed.
Acerola contains vitamin C. It is thought that vitamin C chelates aluminum, keeping it in solution and available for absorption. In people with normal renal function, urinary excretion of aluminum likely increases, making aluminum retention and toxicity unlikely. However, patients with renal failure who take aluminum-containing compounds, such as phosphate binders, should avoid acerola in doses that provide more vitamin C than the recommended dietary allowances.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist with acerola (which is really just a big dose of natural vitamin C) and an aluminum-containing product like Domeboro. The thought is that vitamin C can grab onto aluminum and keep it dissolved, which might let a bit more aluminum get absorbed from your gut. I want to be honest though: this is a theoretical concern based on how these things behave in the lab, not something we see causing real problems in healthy people.

If your kidneys work normally, your body simply pees out any extra aluminum, so buildup is very unlikely. The exception is folks with kidney failure who take aluminum products. For them, large vitamin C doses are worth avoiding. Eating acerola as food is fine. If you have kidney trouble, check with your pharmacist before using concentrated supplements.

References
  1. Domingo JL, Gomez M, Llobet JM, Richart C. Effect of ascorbic acid on gastrointestinal aluminum absorption (letter). Lancet 1991;338:1467.
  2. Domingo JL, Gomez M, Llobet JM, Corbella J. Influence of some dietary constituents on aluminum absorption and retention in rats. Kidney Int 1991;39:598-601. PubMed
  3. Partridge NA, Regnier FE, White JL, Hem SL. Influence of dietary constituents on intestinal absorption of aluminum. Kidney Int 1989;35:1413-7. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Acerola Also Interacts With Other Medications

Acerola has 39 moderate, 88 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Aluminum, Calcium one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Acerola

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Acerola. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Aluminum, Calcium

This page covers Acerola only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Aluminum, Calcium page lists 22 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Calcium (moderate), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate) and Glucomannan (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 11 moderate · 10 minor.

Open the Aluminum, Calcium interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Acerola as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 2,642 real supplement products containing Acerola, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Acerola. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Aluminum, Calcium too, on top of Acerola — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Acerola and Aluminum, Calcium Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Acerola
Top 10%

#134 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Aluminum, Calcium
Top 10%

#219 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Acerola

What is Acerola?

Acerola
  • Vitamin C source
  • Immune support
  • Antioxidant support
  • General wellness
  • Skin health

Acerola is a small tropical fruit prized for its very high natural vitamin C content, and it is mostly used as a food-based source of vitamin C and antioxidants. While vitamin C itself has well-known roles in the body, strong human studies showing that acerola specifically treats or prevents disease are limited. It is generally considered safe in food amounts, but check with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Read the full Acerola monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Acerola

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Acerola — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
39Moderate
88Minor
2,702No known interaction
Moderate

39 interactions

Minor

88 interactions

Showing 60 of 88 minor interactions — see all 88 on the Acerola page.

No interaction 2,702 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Acerola and Aluminum, Calcium Together: Common Questions

Can you take Acerola with Aluminum, Calcium?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Acerola and Aluminum, Calcium interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.