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Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

arstechnica.com

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Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#31

Post by odiroot »

Natsu wrote: post #2

I simply took a probiotic after being on antibiotics for a couple months and it had a side effect of curing a lot of digestive problems I used to have. So there's that, too. Incidentally, my doctor was the one who advised this. EDIT: The probiotic in my case was capsules of 15B cells of Lactobasillus GG. Marketing copy on the box suggests this is the "most clinically studied probiotic strain" but I'm not able to veri…

I would be surprised if some doctors (or even countries) didn't prescribe probiotics alongside the antibiotics.

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#32

Post by aschearer »

Since there's so much interest in gut biomes you may be interested in learning that what you eat greatly influences your biome. A vegan diet has been shown to substantially change your flora [1] in as little as a day [2]. I also found this video on the role of fiber, our gut flora, and our immune system interesting [3].

[1]: http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v66/n1/full/ejcn2011141a....

[2]: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7484/full/nature1...

[3]: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/prebiotics-tending-our-inner...

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#33

Post by homeslice »

Natsu wrote: post #2

I simply took a probiotic after being on antibiotics for a couple months and it had a side effect of curing a lot of digestive problems I used to have. So there's that, too. Incidentally, my doctor was the one who advised this. EDIT: The probiotic in my case was capsules of 15B cells of Lactobasillus GG. Marketing copy on the box suggests this is the "most clinically studied probiotic strain" but I'm not able to veri…

So I run a probiotics site...and what that marketing claim means is that that precise strain of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus is the most researched.

There are many more studies on the species of probiotic Lactobacillus Rhamnosus as a whole...but for that exact "cousin" of the species, it is likely the most clinically researched probiotic.

There's a bit more info on it here: http://probiotics.org/lactobacillus-gg-benefits/

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#34

Post by swsieber »

refurb wrote: post #26

I think saying that antibiotics "mess up" your gut microbiome is making a lot of assumptions. Your biome changes if your diet changes. Saying that "any change" is "messing things up" is something I don't think has been proven. Of course, there are risks of using antibiotic like C. difficile infections, but saying more than that is stretching the truth.

I don't think that there are that many assumptions. The core assumption is this: having a more diverse gut microbiome is healthier.

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#35

Post by justboxing »

CuriouslyC wrote: post #22
justboxing wrote: post #7

Ask HN: Any proven natural (without meds) ways to "reset" and restore gut flora? Context: I grew up in India and to this day, there is a tendancy by Doctors to prescribe Antibiotics for anything, even cold viruses and non-bacterial illnesses. Erythromycin is 1 such antibiotic that Indian doctors prescribe for things such as the common cold, cough and similar seasonal illnesses. Due to this, I've developed a lot of fo…

It isn't possible to do a "full" reset without antibiotics (and even then it isn't 100% complete). The next best thing you can do is fasting. Fasting greatly restricts the food supply to the microbes in your gut (gut mucus production still feeds them to a degree), causing a fairly large die-off and shift in bacterial equilibrium. Anywhere between 4 and 7 days is a good target, and it doesn't have to be a strict fast,…

Thanks! Several people have told me about this too. I will try it.

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#37

Post by justboxing »

suneilp wrote: post #23
justboxing wrote: post #7

Ask HN: Any proven natural (without meds) ways to "reset" and restore gut flora? Context: I grew up in India and to this day, there is a tendancy by Doctors to prescribe Antibiotics for anything, even cold viruses and non-bacterial illnesses. Erythromycin is 1 such antibiotic that Indian doctors prescribe for things such as the common cold, cough and similar seasonal illnesses. Due to this, I've developed a lot of fo…

Monolaurin is a natural antibiotic. It's on the GRAS (generally regarded as safe) list. My doctor suggested it to me. It won't impact healthy bacteria. It's found in coconuts (oil being the best source) and human breast milk... in other words it's one of the first things we have all consumed. It's OTC. Ordinary probiotics such as the powdery capsules that is so prevalent aren't the most effective. They don't get reta…

Thank you so much. I will try the Monolaurin.

I do exercise 6 days a week -- Boxing and circuit training and running -- also lifelong vegetarian, recently turned vegan.

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#38

Post by refurb »

swsieber wrote: post #34
refurb wrote: post #26

I think saying that antibiotics "mess up" your gut microbiome is making a lot of assumptions. Your biome changes if your diet changes. Saying that "any change" is "messing things up" is something I don't think has been proven. Of course, there are risks of using antibiotic like C. difficile infections, but saying more than that is stretching the truth.

I don't think that there are that many assumptions. The core assumption is this: having a more diverse gut microbiome is healthier.

Do you have any sources to back that up?

I don't see anywhere in the article that it says the diversity in the gut was reduced. It says it was altered.

Also, if you change your diet, your diversity is also potentially reduced. Is that bad too?

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#39

Post by justboxing »

DanBC wrote: post #24
justboxing wrote: post #7

Ask HN: Any proven natural (without meds) ways to "reset" and restore gut flora? Context: I grew up in India and to this day, there is a tendancy by Doctors to prescribe Antibiotics for anything, even cold viruses and non-bacterial illnesses. Erythromycin is 1 such antibiotic that Indian doctors prescribe for things such as the common cold, cough and similar seasonal illnesses. Due to this, I've developed a lot of fo…

Eat fibre. > I've developed a lot of food allergies Really? EDIT: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiber-famished-gut... >Your gut is the site of constant turf wars. Hundreds of bacterial species—along with fungi, archaea and viruses—do battle daily, competing for resources. Some companies advocate for consuming more probiotics, live beneficial bacteria, to improve microbial communities in our gut, but more…

Thanks Dan. I did a lot of research on fiber and ended up getting confused. For instance, does it matter what type of fiber the food has i.e. soluble vs insoluble?

Also, what fruits and vegetables are naturally rich in fiber. And of those, do you have to eat the skin to get the fiber? Finally, does cooking remove or reduce fiber content?

Re: Single course of antibiotics can mess up the gut microbiome for a year

#40

Post by justboxing »

aschearer wrote: post #32

Since there's so much interest in gut biomes you may be interested in learning that what you eat greatly influences your biome. A vegan diet has been shown to substantially change your flora [1] in as little as a day [2]. I also found this video on the role of fiber, our gut flora, and our immune system interesting [3]. [1]: http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v66/n1/full/ejcn2011141a.... [2]: http://www.nature.com/na…

Thanks, I am a recently turned vegan. I can't say I have experienced the change in "as little as a day". I've been a lifelong lacto-vegetarian (like most indian people) and recently dropped diary (last 2 years).
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