People on antibiotics may benefit from taking probiotics

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

People on antibiotics may benefit from taking probiotics at the same time, according to new research.

The good bacteria protect gut health, reducing the risk of diarrhea and other side effects.

Co-author Dr. Elisa Marroquin, of Texas Christian University, explained: "Like in a human community, we need people that have different professions because we don't all know how to do every single job.

"And so the same happens with bacteria. We need lots of different gut bacteria that know how to do different things."

Millions of antibiotics are prescribed every year to treat infections. They can be incredibly effective but also damage the microbiome.

These are the trillions of organisms that live in our intestines - helping stave off disease. Usually, they do not solely target the bacteria that is causing infection.

It is believed this disruption can last up to two years. Common symptoms also include bloating.

Dr. Marroquin said: "Even though we haven't come up with a single definition of what is a healthy gut microbiome, one of the constant things we observe in healthy people is they have a higher level of diversity and more variety of bacteria in the gut."

The US and Mexican team pooled results from 29 studies published over the past seven years involving thousands of patients across the world.

Dr. Marroquin said: "When participants take antibiotics, we see several consistent changes in some bacterial species.

"But when treatment was combined with probiotics, the majority of those changes were less pronounced and some changes were completely prevented."

Previous research has demonstrated probiotics reduce gastrointestinal side effects from antibiotics.

But there has been debate over whether taking them also preserves the diversity and composition of microbes in the gut.

Some healthcare professionals are reluctant to recommend the combination for fear of further altering the delicate balance.

The study in the Journal of Medical Microbiology is the first systematic review to assess the effect - making it the most comprehensive of its kind.

It found probiotics prevent or lessen antibiotic-induced changes to gut bacteria and protect species diversity.

They even restore populations of friendly bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii which reduce inflammation and boost the intestinal barrier.

A 'leaky gut' fuels pro-inflammatory cytokines, proteins that fuel disease by increasing blood flow around sites of infection.

Dr. Marroquin said: "Considering the human data available up to this point, there does not seem to be a reason to withhold a prescription of probiotics when antibiotics are prescribed."

Probiotics have been touted as a treatment for a huge range of conditions, from obesity to mental health problems.

One of their popular uses is to replenish the gut microbiome after a course of antibiotics.

Dr. Marroquin's research is the first solid evidence suggesting they actually work in this way.