New research from scientists working at Oregon State University have been looking into the side-effects of antibiotics. The focus is on the disruption caused to the beneficial bacterial that reside within the gastrointestinal system. In addition, evidence suggests that antibiotics also damage the intestinal cell layers, which effects the absorption of nutrients from digested food. Of particular interest to the researchers is the impact of long-term antibiotic use. Long term antibiotic overuse can also cause nausea and skin problems.
Around 1 in 3 adults and 2 in 3 children routinely take antibiotics each year. The rate of people suffering from side effects is around 10 percent. Among the undesirable effects reported are effects on the immune system, glucose metabolism, food absorption, obesity, stress and behavior.
With the research, a mixture of four antibiotics was used. These were administered on a frequent basis to laboratory animals. Observations and tests were conducted throughout the trial. One effect that was noticed is how antibiotics trigger cell death in relation to cells that line the stomach wall. If this continues then the risk from digestive dysfunction as well as diarrhea and ulcerative colitis arises.
The findings illustrate the risks that the use of antibiotics can cause. This reinforces the best advice that antibiotics should only be used when really needed for specific high-risk bacterial infections (such as of the lung (pneumonia), skin, or urinary tract.) Inappropriately used antibiotics will do nothing except place the patient at an unnecessary risk for potential side effects.
The findings have been published in the journal Gut, in a paper called “Uncovering effects of antibiotics on the host and microbiota using transkingdom gene networks.”
