A growing body of evidence demonstrates that antibiotics have serious unintended downstream health effects including colon cancer and chronic diseases such as allergic, autoimmune, metabolic, and psychiatric disease.1
A research article published in the journal Gut Microbes outlines several major studies linking antibiotics to adverse health outcomes, potential causes, and what health care providers should be considering moving forward to minimize antibiotic use. The article discusses that the key mechanism underlying antibiotic-related diseases is disruption of the delicate gut microbiome balance, also referred to as gut bacteria dysbiosis. This antibiotic-induced shift in the gut bacteria doesn’t just result in short-lived changes, but results in changes in gene expression, epigenetic modification, colonization of harmful bacteria, establishment of biofilms, changes in immune regulation, and inflammation.1
Antibiotic Exposure Compromises Gut Barrier
Because antibiotic exposure compromises the barrier function of the gut lining, exposure to molecules or substances that the gut is typically not exposed to due to the breech in the gut lining is also a commonly proposed mechanism for antibiotic disease association. The disruption of this barrier can also create a harbor of pathogenic bacteria or overgrowth of harmful bacteria communities such as in the case of post-antibiotic cases of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) and Salmonella typhimurium.1
Numerous studies have identified especially strong links between antibiotic exposure during critical development periods, such as antibiotics taken by mothers during pregnancy or given in early childhood, and adverse health outcomes.
“Exposure to antibiotics during critical developmental periods appears to have profound long-term effects. In humans, prenatal exposure to antibiotics is associated with aberrant DNA methylation, and these epigenetic changes correlate with alterations in metabolism and growth, specifically low birth weight.”1
Low birth weight is associated with obesity in adulthood, cardiovascular disease, and type II diabetes.
Antibiotics Have Both Short and Long Term Adverse Effects
Health care providers often counsel patients that the antibiotics will temporarily alter the gut microbiome, but it is becoming increasingly evident that there are long term alterations occurring both directly and indirectly.
“Studies have shown that a single short course of antibiotics can drastically alter an individual’s gastrointestinal flora, leading to changes in the composition, diversity, metabolic function, and resistance gene expression of the microbiome.”1
Colon cancer is occurring in younger populations than ever before, and while there are many potential causes, there is growing evidence of the link between even one dose of antibiotics and increased risk of colon cancer. Researchers have found that antibiotic use increased the risk of colon cancer in a dose-dependent and cumulative fashion, demonstrating that the more antibiotic exposure an individual has had, the stronger the risk.2
Antibiotic Overuse Named a Top Three Public Health Threat
As has been the case for decades, antibiotic overprescription and overuse is a pressing health problem worldwide but doctors and other health care providers with the authority to write prescriptions for drugs do not appear to be listening to repeated calls for more judicious use of antibiotics.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly called antibiotic resistance one of the top three public health threats. Since the beginning of the 21st century, global antibiotic consumption has continued to rise with an overall increase of 65 percent in daily doses of antibiotics.1 In addition, antibiotics are often given to livestock for disease prevention or are often found in drinking water due to contamination. A WHO survey that found 76 percent of respondents said they had taken antibiotics within the past six months.3 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that at least 30 percent of oral antibiotics prescribed in outpatient settings are unnecessary.4
Last year, WHO reported significant overuse of antibiotics to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. Data gathered from 65 countries from January 2020 to March 2023 found that only eight percent of patients hospitalized with COVID had bacterial co-infections requiring antibiotics, yet approximately 75 percent of patients were treated with antibiotics “just in case.”5
Call for Health Care Providers to be “Better Antibiotic Stewards”
The authors of the recent Gut Mircrobes article about antibiotic-related disease concluded with suggestions for providers to take steps to reduce antibiotic use. Their suggestions included declining patient requests for antibiotics when patients have a viral infection, noninfectious conditions, or asymptomatic colonization of bacteria. The authors also suggest shorter antibiotic course where appropriate and exploration of the treatment of infections without the use of antibiotics.
“As evidence mounts that antibiotic use can have varied off-target and long-lasting negative consequences, there is increasing urgency for physicians and other health care providers to be better antibiotic stewards.”1
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Click here to view References:1 Queen J et al. Oral antibiotic use and chronic disease: long-term health impact beyond antimicrobial resistance and Clostridioides difficile. Gut Microbes Feb. 9, 2020.
2 Nelson B. A growing link between antibiotics and colon cancer. ACS Journals May 6, 2022.
3 News Release. WHO multi-country survey reveals widespread public misunderstanding about antibiotic resistance. World Health Organization Nov. 16, 2015.
4 Nori P. CDC estimates 30% of antibiotic prescriptions in US unnecessary. Healio News May 4, 2016.
5 Hobley N. WHO reports significant overuse of antibiotics to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. The Vaccine Reaction May 6, 2024.
4 Responses
The Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro and Leviquin are 2 frequently prescribed brands) are insanely dangerous but commonly prescribed. I only suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon that required surgery. It was prescribed for an allergic reaction that the doctor mis-diagnosed as a minor skin infection. I talked with someone who was given Cipro as a prophilaxis for carpel tunnel syndrome surgery who almost died from the Cipro. He was told that he would die if he every took another Fluoroquinolone. Here is the account from someone who calls Fluoroquinolones the atomic bombs of antibiotics Each antibiotic has its effects and side effects but this one can be deadly.
It’s funny because we watch the Miracle Dr Pol veterinarian show on Animal Planet now and then. He shows up, performs a quick observation, casts an impromptu diagnosis, which usually is rather straight forward and obvious. Then he prescribes anti biotics and is out of there in ten minutes flat almost every time. ‘It’s a miracle, he did it again, thanks for saving our pets Dr Pol!’
This is the for profit health care model where patients are dollar signs on a conveyor belt. Anti biotics are simply the shortest path to immediate profits. So they get prescribed a lot. If the industry wants to even begin to have a more comprehensive safer long term solution, they’d have to pay attention to the dangers of bio engineered ingredients in food, toxic chemicals and pesticides, diet sugars, chemicals in municipal drinking water, and so on and so forth. Probably will not be able to get all that done in a 10 minute visitation window before the next hapless customer is wheeled in for a quickie.
Article quote; The article discusses that the key mechanism underlying antibiotic-related diseases is disruption of the delicate gut microbiome balance, also referred to as gut bacteria dysbiosis. / Oh, I see they’ve graduated to big scientific words to express what people have been talking about for the past four decades if not longer. These guys, they use so many big words, how could you not trust them in a state of bedazzled bewilderment, they’re so smart and all. Give me a quick script doc, I’ve got more important things to do than be here because every single thing you do costs me an arm and a leg, and puts me at risk of financial ruin, bankruptcy, homelessness, and earning a persona non grata status with my insurance company every time you enter in a health code into my profile. Just write a script and let me out, I already can not afford to be here in the first place. / Understanding how this works and why the problem can not be resolved under this current health care modeling yet?
We’ve always stayed away from antibiotics and let our bodies do their work without issue. We don’t even give them to our dogs, and it makes a huge difference in everyone’s health.
Y’all for anyone who is reading the comments listen up. Do not take a fluroquinolone for anything short of saving your life or an infection that is resistant to safer (quote/unquote) antibiotics. Even pharmacy schools teach that.
My mother got seizures from taking it for a drug resistant urinary tract infection. Another friend did a downward dog and had the Achilles tear that he was told required surgery. There are websites about being “floxxed”.
I recently heard of a website called askapatient.com, if you don’t want to read the package insert and look up words, at least go there before you take anything!