Antibiotics are a double-edged sword.
They not only kill germs that make you sick, they destroy the good bacteria in your intestines that contribute to your health in a myriad of ways.
Your body is home to about 100 million beneficial bacteria. Together, they are called your microbiome.
And when your microbiome is damaged, you lose the protection it provides against a wide range of serious health problems. They include digestive problems, cancer, heart disease, ulcers, poor immunity, weight gain, allergies, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and even mental illness.[i] [ii] [iii]
Now, alarming new research shows that antibiotics are just one of many types of prescription drugs that cripple your microbiome.
The study was presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week in Barcelona. Researchers looked at 41 types of commonly used drugs. They analyzed 1,883 fecal samples from people who did and didn’t take the medications.[iv]
Scientists found that 18 drug types strongly affect the gut microbiome.
These Drugs Harm Your Good Bacteria
Besides antibiotics, drugs found to cause the most damage were:
- Proton Pump Inhibitors. They are used to treat acid reflux. Common ones include Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid.[v]
- Metformin. It treats diabetes.
- Laxatives. They treat constipation.
Researchers found that people who took these medications often had lower levels of good bacteria in their intestines and higher levels of those that cause illness.
For example, metformin users had higher levels of E. coli bacteria.
Other drugs linked to microbiome damage include antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, and oral steroids such as prednisone.[vi] [vii]
Antidepressants led to higher levels of Eubacterium ramulus. It’s associated with heart disease. Oral steroids triggered high levels of bacteria associated with obesity.
Protect Your Microbiome
The moral of this story is clear…
Whenever possible, avoid prescription drugs that damage the healthy bacteria in your gut.
And when you have to take one of the medications known to kill good bacteria, be sure to supplement with a quality probiotic.
Look for a supplement with at least eight different probiotic strains. These should include:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Bifidobacterium lactis
- Lactobacillus casei
- Bifidobacterium breve
- Bifidobacterium longum
- Bifidobacterium bififdum
- Streptococcus thermophilus
And make sure your supplement has at least 10 billion live cells per serving. This is a measure of potency.
If your health suffers because of a damaged microbiome, drug companies will be happy to sell you medications to treat the very problems that their products caused in the first place.
It’s far better to protect your good bacteria by minimizing your exposure to Big Pharma’s dangerous drugs.
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[i]https://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/good-bacteria-for-your-gut
[ii]https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/can-gut-bacteria-improve-your-health
[iii]https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/evidence-mounts-gut-bacteria-can-influence-mood-prevent-depression
[iv]https://www.ueg.eu/uegweek-2019/index.html#/10
[v]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28258834
[vi]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330042/
[vii]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5442087/