Terrible mistake during antibiotics - doctors discover dangerous link

A study has shown that excessive sugar intake during a course of antibiotics can worsen the imbalance of gut bacteria and promote the growth of dangerous microbes, particularly Enterococcus. Scientists analyzed data from 173 patients and conducted experiments on mice, confirming the effect. Specialists advise limiting added sugar, preferring fiber and fermented foods.

New research, reported by Prevention, has identified a dangerous link between sugar consumption during antibiotic treatment and the state of the gut microbiome. Scientists analyzed 9,419 meals of 173 hospitalized patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation and correlated them with changes in gut bacteria composition. The results showed that alongside antibiotics, consuming sugary foods was associated with an even more pronounced reduction in bacterial diversity. For every 100-gram increase in sugar intake after antibiotics, an additional decrease in microbiome diversity of approximately 24% was observed. Researchers paid particular attention to the bacterium Enterococcus, which gained an advantage and multiplied more actively when antibiotics and high sugar intake were combined. Experiments on mice confirmed the observations: the amount of Enterococcus faecalis in animals that received sugar increased 16-fold. The authors emphasize that further research is needed, as most participants were seriously ill. However, they consider reducing added sugar during a course of antibiotics a reasonable measure.