Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Published : May 14, 2015 1:23 PM IST
Antibiotics are often used to treat any infection and time, and again it has been proved that antibiotics can be extremely harmful to health if overused. Regular usage of antibiotics not only lead to antibiotic resistance but also alters the composition of gut bacteria making you vulnerable to a host of other infections, allergies, autoimmune disorders and even obesity. A new study claims that antibiotic usage in childhood creates more problems later in life. (Read: Antibiotics -- types, side-effects, dosage and precautions)
How was the study conducted?
More than 100 studies were assessed and the scientists found a co-relation between antibiotic use, changes in gut bacteria, and disease in adulthood, informed senior author of the study, Dan Knights, assistant professor at University of Minnesota. Researchers developed a framework to find out how antibiotics cause disease later in life. (Read: Antibiotic resistance why it is more dangerous than you think)
What did the study find?
It was found that in case of allergies, bacteria that help immune cells mature are destroyed by antibiotics. In case of obesity, changes in the gut microbiota increase the levels of short chain fatty acids that affect metabolism. The researchers also found that an infant's age can be predicted on the maturity of the gut bacteria.
How does the study help?
These finding can be useful to formulate standards and recommendations on antibiotic usage and can also be used in developing a test to measure the amount of gut bacteria in children.
The study appeared in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.
Image source: Getty Images
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