How antibiotics mess up the gut

We all know antibiotics can mess with our gut—and now scientists have discovered how it happens.

The drugs wreck the gut’s mucus barrier, a protective shield that stops unwanted bacteria from reaching the intestinal lining.

Once bacteria get through the mucus barrier, they can trigger inflammatory responses that can be precursors to a range of chronic problems, from arthritis, heart disease and even cancer.  It can also be the starting point of gut problems such as IBD (inflammatory bowel disease).

Researchers from Umea University in Sweden have discovered that frequent courses of antibiotics can damage the gut by allowing ‘bad’ bacteria through the mucus barrier, and by directly attacking it.

They analysed the microbiota in the gut of people who had taken at least five courses of antibiotics and compared the samples against another group who had rarely taken the drug.  Alarmingly, the researchers discovered that the bacteria composition had dramatically altered even in those who had not taken an antibiotic in years.

In a separate study, the researchers discovered that antibiotics have a direct effect on the mucus barrier, even when ‘bad’ bacteria aren’t present.

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