Fact 1: Antibiotic overuse is a serious problem.
When you’re faced with an infection that your immune system is struggling to overcome, antibiotics can be lifesavers. However, we do have a tendency to overuse these medications. According to an Australian survey around 38% of hospital patients received antibiotic therapy and 23% of these prescriptions were considered inappropriate. In a poll of Australian workers, 65% believed that taking antibiotics would help them recover from viral infections like a cold or flu more quickly – even though antibiotics have no effect on viruses at all. One in five expect antibiotics for viral infections and 60% of general Practitioners (GPs) were prescribing antibiotics to meet patient demands or expectations.
Of course, it’s sometimes necessary to take antibiotics, whether as a one-off, or on a long-term or recurrent basis. If you do need to take them, it’s important to understand how antibiotics affect your body, and how to minimise the side effects associated with them.
Fact 2: Antibiotics disrupt your microbiome.
Scientific research has shown that a single course of antibiotics can cause changes to your microbiome that can last for at least four years. This is because antibiotics don’t just target bacteria that cause infections – they can also damage your native commensals (the good bacteria in your gut), negatively affecting your microbiome. It’s your commensals’ job to make it difficult for pathogens (harmful microbes such as bacteria and yeasts) to grow in your gut; a reduction in commensals can, therefore, allow pathogens to overgrow, causing an imbalance between your good and bad microbes. Known as ‘dysbiosis’, this imbalance may increase your risk of infection and uncomfortable gut symptoms.
Fact 3: Antibiotics may cause both short-term and long-term side effects.
Ten percent of the population experiences side effects when they take antibiotics including digestive discomfort and pain, candidiasis or thrush, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD), or even Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), which causes debilitating gut symptoms and is very hard to eradicate. If you only have to take antibiotics once in a while, this may not seem like such a big deal. However, repeated prescriptions can cause recurrent disruption to your commensals, meaning the above side effects can become chronic. Additionally, there are strong links between long-term microbiome disruption and the development of chronic conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, chronic diarrhoea, metabolic syndrome and obesity. Luckily, we can use certain specific probiotic strains to reduce the risk of these side effects.
Fact 4: Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG®), Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp lactis (BB-12®) are probiotic strains that help preserve and rebuild commensal bacteria populations and reduce antibiotic-associated side effects.
It is important to note that the safety and effectiveness of probiotics comes down to the strains that you use, and whether they’re right for your individual needs. It is also important to understand exactly how they work to improve your microbiome.
If you need to take antibiotics and you want to reduce your risk of microbiome disruption and side effects, you can choose strains with specific, evidence-based results. SB, LGG® and BB-12® have all demonstrated efficacy in assisting the restoration of commensal bacteria, creating an environment representative of a healthy gut microbiome. Rather than ‘colonising’ (living in) your gut, these bacteria are temporary guests that feed your commensal bacteria to restore your unique microbial balance. Additionally, SB, LGG® and BB-12® all stunt the growth of infectious microbes, reducing the risk of side effects related to pathogenic overgrowth, such as CDI or AAD.
SB, LGG® and BB-12® have all demonstrated efficacy in assisting the restoration of commensal bacteria, creating an environment representative of a healthy gut microbiome.
These benefits are supported by clinical trials. A review of studies involving 4,780 people taking antibiotics found that SB reduces AAD and enhances recovery of the microbiome during antibiotic use. Additionally, studies in 4,213 people showed that LGG® is safe and effective for preventing CDI and CDI-associated diarrhoea during antibiotic use. These strains offer protection from microbiome disruption and antibiotic-associated side effects.
Fact 5: I can help you choose the right strains for you.
Sometimes antibiotics are necessary. If you do need them, SB, LGG® and BB-12® are safe, effective and evidence-based options to help protect your microbiome. Speak to me today about whether these probiotic strains are right for you.
