Antibiotics were invented for a reason. Since the introduction of penicillin in the 1940s and the subsequent development of other antibiotics, illness and death from infectious diseases have dropped dramatically. But with widespread use as time has gone on, the bacteria the drugs were designed to destroy have adapted, becoming resistant to some strains.
The worry surrounding antibiotic resistance is real. If your body builds a defense against them — because you’re consuming them unnecessarily (when you don’t have a bacterial infection; or from meat that came from cattle raised with antibiotics) — then the drugs may not work when you need them most: while fighting a dangerous illness.
But according to an emerging field of research, resistance isn’t the only thing to fear about the medication — especially for children. In a new study, New York University Langone Medical Center researchers wanted to see what would happen when they gave mice a dose of a popular childhood antibiotic — amoxicillin or tylosin — in similar doses to those that kids receive.
The results? Mice on antibiotics gained more weight, developed larger bones, and saw more disruptions to their gut microbiomes (bacteria in their gastrointestinal systems) than mice that were not fed any antibiotics. Tylosin seemed to have a stronger effect than amoxicillin on reorganizing the microbiome — suggesting this drug could have broader activity throughout the gut and intestines, researchers say.
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Credit: Yahoo
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