Eating less sugar could protect your gut during antibiotics
What's the story
Cutting down on sugary foods during an antibiotic course could help preserve the diversity of your gut microbiome, a new research has suggested. The diverse community of bacteria in our gut is essential for digestion and overall physical and mental health. However, antibiotics can disrupt this balance, resulting in digestive issues, fatigue, and skin condition flare-ups.
Research findings
Study involved 158 people with blood cancers
The study, led by Jonathan Peled from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, involved 158 people with blood cancers.
These participants were hospitalized for weeks as they underwent chemotherapy to destroy their immune systems before receiving stem cell infusions.
To avoid possible infections during this time, each person was given at least one type of antibiotic.
Monitoring approach
Researchers tracked changes in participants' gut microbiomes
The researchers tracked changes in the participants' gut microbiomes by analyzing stool samples.
They also kept a detailed record of what each participant ate and when they ate it.
This was done by providing a questionnaire with every meal ordered from the hospital kitchen, allowing them to accurately track food consumption patterns and their impact on gut health.
Diet impact
High-sugar diets linked to reduced gut microbiome diversity
The detailed dataset revealed a link between high-sugar diets and reduced gut microbiome diversity during antibiotic treatment.
For every 100-gram increase in high-sugar food consumption (the equivalent of one large milkshake) within 48 hours before stool sample collection, total bacterial diversity was on average 24% greater.
This highlights the potential negative impact of sugary foods on gut health during antibiotic use.
Pathogen boost
Sugar exacerbates problems caused by antibiotics, researchers warn
The combination of a high-sugar diet and antibiotic treatment also resulted in an increase in the number of Enterococcus faecium bacteria.
These can act as pathogens and cause severe hospital-acquired infections.
The sugar in the gut exacerbates problems caused by the antibiotics, said Jonas Schluter from NYU Langone Health, New York, emphasizing how sugar intake can worsen antibiotic side effects on gut health.
Dietary implications
Findings could lead to a re-evaluation of dietary recommendations
The study's findings could lead to a re-evaluation of dietary recommendations for cancer patients on antibiotics.
Doctors often recommend smoothies or milkshakes to people with cancer to boost nutritional intake.
However, these high-sugar foods may not be ideal during antibiotic treatment as they can potentially harm gut health by reducing microbiome diversity and increasing pathogenic bacteria.