How to restore a natural balance in the intestines after antibiotics

How bad are antibiotics really for your digestion and gut health? Here’s the answer: worse than you could imagine.

The latest research reveals that the damage from certain types of antibiotics can last for months, even years – in ways that could lead to diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, and even increase the risk of colon cancer.

To find out what happens to the gut microflora during a course of antibiotics, Swedish and British researchers gave healthy adults either a placebo or oral antibiotics. They collected saliva and stool samples before and after antibiotic therapy.* Four types of antibiotics were studied: amoxicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and clindamycin. Not surprisingly, all antibiotics destroyed  many of the beneficial bacteria in both saliva and stool samples. The good news is that the “good” bacteria settled in the mouth quite quickly after all four types of antibiotics. But the bowels didn’t fare so well. After amoxicillin, the concentration of good bacteria in the intestines was disrupted for about a week. After tetracycline for about a month. After ciprofloxacin and clindamycin, the damage was more permanent.

Specifically, they suppressed several types of common gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids called butyrates – increasingly recognized as key to colon health. Butyrate inhibits inflammation, acts as a powerful protective antioxidant and helps prevent malignant cell alteration. When bacteria stop producing butyrate, digestive disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease can occur.

In this study, ciprofloxacin and clindamycin suppressed butyrate producers for several months—and in some cases up to a year—after therapy.

Does this study mean you should never accept a prescription for these antibiotics?Not! Some potentially dangerous infections can only be treated with these and other antibiotics.But if you are prescribed antibiotics, talk to your doctor about the best protection for your gut flora.

Maintaining a proper balance of gut flora is a crucial but widely overlooked component of human health. Although taking antibiotics has increased life expectancy, our excessive and often unnecessary use of these drugs predisposes us to harmful, long-term consequences. Antibiotics are not selective about the bacteria they destroy, and as a result they also kill the “good” bacteria. This is important because these beneficial bacteria support the immune system, protect against disease and infection, aid in digestion and processing of food, aid in the absorption of nutrients, and eliminate waste. We now know that at least 70% of our immune system resides within our gut. Unfortunately, after one course of antibiotics, the natural balance between beneficial and pathogenic bacteria is disrupted.

What can you do to repair and restore balance after using antibiotics?

1. Avoid sugar and other simple carbohydrates.This is a daily rule, but it is especially important when you are recovering from an infection and after using antibiotics. Pathogenic or “bad” bacteria love sugar. By avoiding sugars and simple carbohydrates, you are actually starving the bad bacteria.
2. Consume fermented foods which are essential for maintaining a healthy immune system. Consume kefir, sauerkraut, beets and other fermented vegetables or fruits. Beer, although fermented, is not on the list. Not only is beer loaded with carbohydrates, but it also reduces bowel motility. Decreased intestinal motility combined with abundant carbohydrates can lead to bloating, congestion and an imbalance of intestinal bacteria.
3. Eat bone broths.Because it contains collagen, a protein found in all connective tissues, bone broth is rich in amino acids. Among them is glycine, which has been shown to stimulate the production of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that plays a key role in disease prevention. Glycine contributes to the health of the inner wall of the intestines and reduces their permeability. Gelatin from soup also absorbs water which helps maintain the mucus layer that keeps intestinal microbes away from the intestinal barrier. Gelatin and glycine reduce inflammation in the intestines. In addition, bone soups have other numerous advantages, and I recommend them at least once a week to preserve the health of joints, tendons, muscles and the immune system.
4. There are hundreds of different types of probiotics, from lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and some yeasts. During and after antibiotic therapy, it is mandatory to take the strongest possible probiotic that helps maintain the balance of intestinal flora, reduce side effects and prevent the growth of “bad” bacteria during and after therapy. Moreover, there is clear evidence that the use of probiotics during antibiotic therapy reduces the level of antibiotic resistance!Antibiotic resistance is accelerated by misuse and excessive use of antibiotics and is very dangerous. Start taking probiotics (with food) when you first start taking antibiotics (spaced at different times of the day). The recommended dosage of probiotics is another 2-3 weeks after antibiotic therapy.
5. Prebiotics are water-soluble nutrients, contain fiber and remain in the digestive tract and stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria. They are found in legumes, fruits and intergal grains. Here are some foods you should consume: almonds, carrots, bananas, whole grains, green vegetables, kiwi, leeks, garlic, mushrooms.
6. Support your liver.Our liver performs over 500 different functions. Antibiotics can damage the liver, especially if you take them for a long time.Milk thistle is an excellent supplement to support liver health, and can be taken as silymarin tablets or as a tea (420 mg daily in divided doses) which you can buy in our pharmacies. Carrot and beetroot juice can also support liver function. Also, don’t forget to drink plenty of water to flush out unwanted toxins.

And finally, good bacteria reside in our bodies from the day we are born and stay with us throughout our lives. Bacteria in the intestines are established in the first 2-3 years of life and play an important role in digestion, metabolism and immune function. Intestines protect us, so let’s protect our intestines too!

*Zaura E, Brandt BW. De Mattos JT et al. Same exposure but two radically different responses to antibiotics: resilience of the salivary microbiome versus long-term microbial shifts in feces. mBio Nov 2015, 6 (6) e01693-15; doi: 10.1128/mbio.01693-15.