Probiotic Research Archives

Fighting Melanoma With Probiotics

Despite all of the attention we pay to other deadly forms of cancer — breast, colon, lung and prostate — melanoma should be near the top of that list too.

Melanoma makes up just 1 percent of all skin cancers, yet it is responsible for the vast majority of skin cancer deaths. What’s more, just like colon cancer, the incidence of melanoma has jumped dramatically and become more common among young people.

In recent years, we’ve learned how the state of a patient’s gut health plays a critical role in a growing number of cancers, sometimes due to the harmful use of antibiotics.

Lately, we’ve also seen how the beneficial mix of bacteria and prebiotics contained in probiotics can do a lot of good, including these latest findings from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) on the use of probiotics combined with diet to boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy.

From Gut To Tumor

UPMC scientists knew that the gut was a critical factor in cancer immunotherapy (helping the body’s immune system find and eliminate cancer cells) for some patients, but not all. Yet some recent studies have found that melanoma patients benefitted from probiotic use during the immunotherapy phase of their treatments.

A research team led by senior author Dr. Marlies Meisel took a very important next step by figuring out how the beneficial bacteria in probiotics get the job done by stimulating immune cells directly in tumors with the help of diet in a study appearing in the medical journal Cell.

When Dr. Meisel and her team fed Lactobacillus reuteri to germ-free mice with melanoma, they were able to track to movement of that beneficial bacteria from the gut straight to the tumors.

Compared to a control group that never received beneficial bacteria, the tiny bodies of mice that were dosed with probiotics stimulated more potent T cells at the site of tumors by secreting a compound (I3A).

Also, when scientists supplemented the diets of probiotic mice with tryptophan (an amino acid common in chicken, oatmeal and nuts), that beneficial bacteria converted it to I3A, further strengthening the effect of immunotherapy on slowing down tumor growth and keeping those animals alive longer.

The benefits of probiotics weren’t limited to melanoma either. Probiotics moved beyond the gut to suppress the growth of other cancers including breast cancer in other mouse models.

“I think it’s empowering for patients that they could make these changes themselves — after careful clinical consideration — and have some control over their treatment journey,” says Dr. Meisel.

Safer Approaches For Treating Cancer

Fortunately, this isn’t the first documented case of tiny gut microbes making a difference in the treatment of melanoma.

In a similar study involving mice, prebiotics worked in very similar ways to stimulate the growth of immune cells, slow the growth of melanoma and help the gut to develop more anti-tumor immunity.

This recent report adds to the legacy of probiotics as a safe, non-drug approach to fortify the human gut, the center of one’s immune system.

Want to give your immune system a much-needed boost by taking probiotics?

Consider EndoMune Advanced Probiotics, formulated with 10 vital strains of beneficial bacteria from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families — at least 30 billion bacterial allies and a probiotic (FOS) that feeds your gut.

Resources

Cell

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

National Cancer Institute

Cleveland Clinic

Fighting Melanoma With Probiotics Read More »

Photo of a girl's face with acne. Text reads :Acne & Probiotics

Probiotics May Relieve Acne Outbreaks

Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Acne and Probiotics

No matter how common it is, acne can be a very touchy and painful subject for people of all ages.

Although acne often arises during the teenage years of raging hormones, it can happen at any stage of life, as we’ve seen with the dramatic rise in maskne during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical experts estimate 80 percent of us will experience at least one form of acne by age 30, while others never develop it until they reach adulthood.

While hormones typically drive acne, other variables like clothing, menstrual cycles, high humidity, oily or greasy personal care products and some medications can trigger or worsen acne breakouts.

Depending on the severity of acne, treatments range from non-prescription creams and washes applied topically, all the way to tetracycline antibiotics (minocycline and doxycycline) that can disrupt the healthy balance of bacteria in your gut.

Let’s take a quick look at some findings that link the health of your gut microbiome to your skin.

The Gut-Skin Connection In Action

Medical science appears to be catching on to the gut-skin connection based on the growing number of studies comparing acne problems to common gut health issues. For example:

Patients suffering from acne vulgaris (a condition in which hair follicles are blocked by dead skin cells, oil and bacteria) and eczema (a condition that makes your skin itchy and red) are experiencing alarming decreases in beneficial bacteria.
The prevalence of antibiotic resistance among patients that makes these drugs far less effective over time is a very real problem.
Eating a Western diet full of carbs, fiber-poor processed foods and sugar may harm your gut and your skin.
The incidence of irritable bowel syndrome was found to be significantly more common among patients suffering from acne vulgaris, according to the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

These are just a few of the breadcrumbs that clearly point in the direction of a real gut-skin link, but what about a solution that’s safe for your skin and microbiome?

Probiotics To The Rescue

Extensive reports from Microorganisms, Frontiers in Microbiology, Experimental Dermatology and the Journal of Clinical Medicine point to evidence that treating skin conditions like acne with oral probiotics can be effective.

The common link: The oral probiotics tested successfully in these studies were formulated with strains from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families, including some of the proven strains contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic and EndoMune Junior Advanced Chewable Probiotic.

We recognize that there’s much work still to be done to build a bigger base of knowledge to really understand the hows and whys, but the evidence seems clear to us that taking a probiotic with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria like EndoMune can be good for your gut and your skin.

Resources

Probiotics May Relieve Acne Outbreaks Read More »

Illustrated graphic of a head next to a brain, digestive system, and supplements. Text reads "Mild Cognitive Impairment: Your Gut, Your Brain and Probiotics"

The Microbiome’s Effect On Mild Cognitive Impairment

Disease, Mental Health, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Mild Cognitive Impairment: Your Gut, Your Brain and Probiotics

Given our existing knowledge of the gut-brain axis — the connection that links your intestines, emotions, and brain — it was only time before modern science would examine how the microbiome and human mind work together in other ways.

Lately, a growing number of researchers are studying the effect of the microbiome on mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a stage between the typical cognitive decline due to normal aging and dementia.

Nearly a fifth of people age 60 or older live with MCI, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Generally, the cognitive shifts associated with MCI are noticeable, but don’t limit a patient’s ability to do daily tasks.

Fortunately, MCI doesn’t always lead to Alzheimer’s and cognitive changes may improve in time and, occasionally, it can be misdiagnosed due to a drug side effect.

Based on what we’ve learned from a pair of recent studies, the health of the human gut may provide some clues about MCI and a possible treatment with the help of probiotics.

The Bad News: Gut Bacteria Imbalances

One of the first signs of trouble with gut health are imbalances in the microbiome. Based on a comparative analysis of fecal samples, a group of Chinese researchers spotted noticeable differences in gut bacteria between healthy patients and those with MCI in a study appearing in the Journal of Immunology Research.

On the plus side, MCI patients had significantly more of some strains from the Staphylococcus genus than the healthy controls. That may be problematic, given that another Staphylococcus strain has been linked to neurodegeneration, a deterioration of neuronal structures leading to cognitive problems and dementia.

On the minus side, those with MCI had reduced levels of Bacteroides strains, in line with previous research connecting them to Alzheimer’s. In fact, Chinese scientists recommended that these Bacteroides strains could be used as potential microbiome markers for MCI or Alzheimer’s.

The Good News: Probiotics

Fortunately, there may be a silver lining to all of this bad gut bacteria news with the help of a probiotic.

Japanese researchers compared the effect of a probiotic formulated with a proprietary strain of Bifidobacterium breve to a placebo on 80 healthy older MCI patients in a Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease report.

(Bifidobacterium breve is one of the 10 strains of beneficial bacteria contained in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.)

After both MCI groups took a probiotic or placebo for 16 weeks, researchers measured cognitive functions with a battery of standard tests.

No surprise, patients who took a probiotic achieved significantly higher scores in relation to immediate memory, visuospatial functioning (tasks like buttoning a shirt, assembling furniture or making a bed), and delayed memory.

These studies are merely the beginning of many as science looks to stem the tide of memory issues that surface with MCI and measure how well non-drug therapies like probiotics will perform in the real world.

One thing is certain: Taking a daily probiotic, especially a multi-species product like EndoMune supports your gut-brain axis, improves your mood, alleviates stress and helps you get the restful sleep your body needs naturally, safely, and without a drug.

References

Alzheimer’s Association

Journal of Immunology Research

NutraIngredients USA

Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

Medical News Today

The Microbiome’s Effect On Mild Cognitive Impairment Read More »

Photograph of infant holding mother's thumb. Text reads "Protect Your Baby's Gut Health from Allergies

The Link Between Childhood Allergies And Gut Health

Children’s Health, Healthy Aging / By @drHoberman

Protect Your Baby’s Gut Health From Allergies

Building great gut health starts with a solid foundation. For a new mom, that’s making gut-smart choices like breastfeeding her new baby for as long as she can and doing her best to avoid a c-section birth.

Doing those two things can go a long way toward developing a diverse, balanced microbiome that protects your child from persistent health issues like allergies as he/she grows up.

Unfortunately, c-section rates remain high for new moms (even for those first-time moms with low-risk births) and breastfeeding numbers drop sharply after 6 months, according to numbers collected by the CDC.

So, we shouldn’t be surprised that childhood allergies are also on the rise due to a lack of diversity in gut bacteria, according to a pair of reports.

Gut Bacteria Imbalances

The findings of the two studies, appearing recently in Nature Communications and Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, mirrored each other in one important way: The balance of bacteria determined a child’s susceptibility to food or respiratory allergies.

For example, Italian researchers in the Nature study identified specific microbial signatures that stood out due to their higher inflammatory potential (thanks to an uptick in the production of pro-inflammatory molecules) and depleted levels of beneficial bacteria in fecal samples taken from allergic kids compared to healthy ones.

Overall, less than a third of the children with food allergies developed a healthy immunity to problematic foods like cow’s milk, eggs, nuts, or fruit by the end of a three-year monitoring period.

These same challenges with the lack of microbial diversity were very evident in the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology study over an extended five-year time-frame too.

Based on stool samples taken from children ages 3-5, patients with allergies had far less diverse microbiomes than healthy kids, especially among young patients sensitive to peanuts and milk.

A Probiotic Solution

Although there were no mentions in either study about breastfeeding or natural childbirth, based on previous reports we’ve shared, we know both have a positive impact on reducing your child’s chances of food or respiratory allergies.

Not to mention, feeding your baby formula exclusively has been found to increase the incidence of respiratory problems and asthma significantly.

Unfortunately, more than a few new moms may not have the option of having natural childbirth or breastfeeding, so what do you do?

You may want to consider giving your baby a multi-species probiotic like EndoMune Junior Advanced Powder that contains four basic building blocks of beneficial bacteria from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus families, along with a prebiotic (FOS) that feeds the good guys in her/his developing gut.

But, before starting your baby on EndoMune Junior in its powdered form or its Chewable berry-flavored tablet, please check in with your pediatrician.

Resources

Pediatric Allergy Immunology

Medscape

Nature Communications

Microbiome Post.com

The Link Between Childhood Allergies And Gut Health Read More »

Vitamin D capsules laid out in the shape of the sun. TEXT: Can vitamin D help relieve IBS symptoms?

Does Vitamin D Relieve IBS?

Digestive Health, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Does Vitamin D Relieve IBS?

Vitamin D is a versatile and very essential nutrient that does great things for your body.

Not only does vitamin D aid in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus to keep your bones strong and healthy, it reduces your risks of some serious health problems (from multiple sclerosis to heart disease and the flu) and helps you regulate your mood too.

Plus, your body makes vitamin D naturally thanks to your daily exposure to the sun. (That’s why it’s called the sunshine vitamin.) However, if your body doesn’t produce enough vitamin D, eating fatty fish (salmon and tuna) or fortified foods like milk or cereal or take a daily supplement may help.

But should you take vitamin D to relieve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? Not so fast…

Putting Vitamin D To The Test

For nearly a decade, scientists at the University of Sheffield have done lots of research on the connections between IBS and low vitamin D levels. In fact, the results of their 2018 study determined that vitamin D had some small benefit, leading them to advise most IBS patients to take a supplement.

Scientists put their theory to the test in this latest study: A 12-week trial in which 135 patients with chronic IBS took a 3,000 IU of vitamin D or a placebo with a goal of lessening its symptoms.

Although vitamin D levels increased in comparison to a placebo treatment, there were no differences reported in the severity of IBS between both groups of patients or even a mild alternations to their quality of life.

For people living with severe IBS, low vitamin D levels may be attributable to changes in diet and lifestyle as a result of adjustments they make due to anxiety or other coping mechanisms, says lead study author Dr. Bernard Corfe.

How To Relieve IBS

If you’re coping with IBS, you may already know that making basic adjustments — eating more fiber and low FODMAP meals, reducing your stress and getting more movement and sleep — are helpful. (These are important ways to curb the obesity epidemic).

Depending on the subtype of IBS affecting you and its severity, your physician may suggest targeted drugs like alosetron (Lotronex) or rifaximin (Xifaxan), but these come with their own side effects ranging from constipation to pancreatitis.

If you want to treat IBS without a drug, many medical experts believe probiotics are one of the most effective and safest treatments available.

Probiotics lessen constipation by maintaining the motility in your intestines and reduce the duration of diarrhea. Plus, they work with your gut-brain axis to calm your emotions and help you better handle your stressors.

What’s more, studies have shown the effectiveness of multi-strain probiotics, especially when they’re taken over the long haul.

Remember your gut microbiome is a diverse accumulation of bacteria, so any probiotic you take needs to be built to combat the symptoms of IBS plus protect and enhance your body’s immune system.

Look for a probiotic with proven strains of beneficial bacteria from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus families, like those found in EndoMune Advance Probiotic.

One more thing: The next time you have blood work done during your annual checkup, be sure you ask about your vitamin D levels and consult with your physician about a supplement if you need one!

References

European Journal of Nutrition

The University of Sheffield

Healthline.com

National Institutes of Health

Nutrients

Does Vitamin D Relieve IBS? Read More »

Five capsules on a wooden measuring spoon next to a glass of water. Text: 4 Good reasons why you need a probiotic

Four Reasons Why You Need a Probiotic

Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Given that your attention has been diverted very recently to more pressing issues like the coronavirus, it’s a good time to remind you about a few of the many good reasons you should be taking a probiotic.

1. Maintaining the healthy balance of your gut

Did you know that an unhealthy imbalance of bacteria in your gut can make you vulnerable to a more severe case of the coronavirus?

The gut health of patients stricken with the coronavirus lacked strains of beneficial bacteria that could muster a good immune system response, according to a very recent study.

What’s more, severe cases of the coronavirus among patients were linked to the absence of several strains of beneficial bacteria in their gut, including Bifidobacterium bifidum (one of the potent strains of bacteria featured in EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.)

2. Protecting your gut health from common drugs

We’re learning more by the day about the effect even ordinary over-the-counter drugs like aspirin may have on your gut.

Taking a probiotic may be helpful in relieving gut-related problems linked to taking aspirin, and it won’t interfere with the cardiovascular reasons patients take a low-dose aspirin every day either.

3. Getting the restful sleep you need

We’ve talked a lot about the benefits of taking a probiotic to help you get a good night’s sleep due to abrupt changes in your body’s circadian sleep cycles triggered by jet lag or late-night work schedules, and sleep apnea can be problematic for your gut too.

However, the combination of a probiotic plus a CPAP device can do wonders to relieve most of the common fatigue patients experience, and it may lower the risks of other health problems like metabolic syndrome too.

4. Evaluating the real benefits of probiotic foods

Many people choose some foods with the best intentions for their gut based on the latest fads they see on the news, like a recent one regarding caffeinated coffee.

But, drinking coffee every day, with its highly acidic content, just to give your gut health a major boost can also lead to more problems (like heartburn) than benefits.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to protecting that critical balance, and you need a healthy gut to take advantage of the slight benefits any food may provide.

However, taking a daily probiotic formulated with multiple strains of bacteria is a proven way to protect the long-term health of your gut.

When you’re on the lookout for a probiotic that’s formulated to help your gut health get back on track, be sure to look for one with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families, plus a prebiotic that feeds the good bacteria in your gut, like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.

Resources

Four Reasons Why You Need a Probiotic Read More »

Sleep Apnea and Your Gut Health

Disease, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Have you heard complaints from your loved ones about not getting enough sleep due to the sound of your snoring? Anywhere from 50-70 million Americans deal with a sleep disorder, and nearly a third of them struggle with some form of sleep apnea, a condition in which your breathing starts and stops repeatedly and involuntarily throughout the night.

Different forms of sleep apnea have unique symptoms but some crossover, like insomnia, headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness.

When the natural circadian rhythms that govern your body’s sleep-wake cycles get disturbed by something as minor and temporary as jet lag, your gut feels it. Mess those rhythms up and you run the risk of more health problems, and serious ones too.

New evidence shows sleep apnea — a more serious health problem — may also affect your gut.

I can hear you snoring!

Curious about the effects of sleep apnea on gut health, scientists at the University of Missouri launched an experiment using three sets of mice to examine how the gut microbiome reacts.

Researchers exposed male mice to two environments — one with normal room air or the other restricting their airflow (designed to mimic sleep apnea) — for six weeks.

Then, scientists took those fecal samples from both animal groups, and evenly transplanted them into the third group of young mice, then monitored their sleep for three days.

No surprise, the mice that received transplants from male mice with restricted airflow experienced a common symptom of sleep apnea: Increased sleepiness during regular times of the day when they should be wide awake.

“By manipulating the gut microbiome, or the byproducts of the gut microbiota, we would be in a position to prevent or at least [treat] some of the consequences of sleep apnea,” said Dr. David Gozal, the lead author on this study.

In fact. Dr. Gozal suggested the combination of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine and a probiotic could offer patients some important benefits.

The human side of things

Not only could probiotics and a CPAP device eliminate much of the daytime fatigue due to a lack of sleep, but both could also reduce the likelihood of other health issues linked to sleep apnea.

The most serious problem: The cluster of symptoms that increase your risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart disease known as metabolic syndrome.

If you’re on the lookout for an excellent probiotic, be sure that it contains multiple strains of beneficial bacteria that protect the balance of bacteria in your gut.

Also, check product labels to ensure any product you consider contains prebiotics, the unsung heroes that do the dirty work behind the scenes of feeding the good bacteria in your gut and stimulating their growth.

Plus, taking a prebiotic every day has been shown to improve the quality of sleep too!

EndoMune Advanced Probiotic is uniquely fortified with 10 strains of beneficial bacteria plus a proven prebiotic(FOS) so you can work on improving your sleep.

References

Sleep Apnea and Your Gut Health Read More »

Prescription medicine + donuts = higher IBD risks

Antibiotics + High-Fat Diet = Higher IBD Risks

Drug interactions, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Whenever we talk about antibiotics, the subject always comes around to the same health challenge…Do you rely on antibiotics to “cure” common health problems that would probably get resolved on their own? And, do you pressure your family physician into prescribing you an antibiotic you may not need?

When you rely on antibiotics too often, they may eventually stop working, especially when you need them to.

So, would you make a different decision about taking an antibiotic if doing so made you much more vulnerable to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

Multiple risk factors

An international team of researchers conducted a two-part study, first analyzing fecal samples of 92 patients, including 49 suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), to measure fecal calprotectin, a biomarker for intestinal inflammation. Elevated levels of this biomarker, considered a pre-IBD biomarker, were discovered in 19 IBS patients. But that’s not the key takeaway…

Patients who had a recent history of taking antibiotics plus eating a high-fat diet regularly elevated their risks of pre-IBD problems by a factor of 9, compared to those who ate a healthier diet, and had no recent history of antibiotic use.

Considering these risks separately, a patient’s pre-IBD probabilities fell, but not as much as you’d expect, especially with the presence of antibiotics elevating pre-IBD by nearly 4 times compared to high-fat diets alone (nearly 3 times).

Scientists also discovered why antibiotics and high-fat diets create so many problems by analyzing a group of mouse models: Their presence disrupts the work of the mitochondria in the cells that line the intestines to consume oxygen. Those disruptions may evolve into more serious problems in which healthy gut bacteria gets replaced by more harmful bacteria, leading to inflammation and possible pre-IBD symptoms.

So what can you do to stay healthy and possibly stay out of the way of IBD?

It’s all about moderation

This study really drives home a very important point: The foods you eat and the medications you take — especially antibiotics — can work for or against you. Moderation is the critical take-home message here. Eating some fat is good and important, and indulging on occasion is fine, but not all the time!

The same applies to antibiotics. If your family doctor recommends an antibiotic, be sure to ask lots of questions about how and when to take them. (Don’t skip doses or stop taking them early if you feel better.)

For all of the good antibiotics can do, they also deplete the beneficial bacteria in your gut that keeps your immune system strong. When you need to take an antibiotic and protect your gut health, be sure to take a probiotic two hours before to give those beneficial bacteria a head start.

Read our latest advisory on how to get the best out of taking a probiotic here!

When you’re looking for a probiotic, you should strongly consider one formulated with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria that provide proven results like those from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families.

And, when you’re reading product labels, be sure to look for a prebiotic, the guys that do the dirty work behind the scenes by feeding the good bacteria living in your gut. Some probiotics don’t have them!

Fortunately, our multi-strain probiotic, EndoMune Advanced Probiotic, is uniquely fortified with 10 strains of beneficial bacteria, plus a proven prebiotic (FOS) to protect your gut.

References

Antibiotics + High-Fat Diet = Higher IBD Risks Read More »

Protect Your Gut From Aspirin

Digestive Health, Drug interactions, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Taking a drug for any condition, especially for the long-term, may create problems — especially for your gut — if you don’t manage it properly.

It doesn’t matter whether that drug is prescribed by your physician or one you pick it up on your own at a pharmacy either.

Although antibiotics have been a known trigger for troublesome gut-related problems, reports have emerged more recently about issues with many more drugs and even over-the-counter (OTC) medications like heartburn drugs.

Still, many patients assume OTC drugs sold without a prescription, especially pain relievers, have no short- or long-term risks associated with taking them.

Even taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like a daily aspirin at a low dose can be a problem, contributing to an increased risk of stomach ulcers and bleeding in the gut.

And, the risks can grow when you’re taking other drugs at the same time, as we shared recently in our blog post about taking an antibiotic along with an NSAID pain reliever.

Probiotics to the rescue!

Luckily, there may be a probiotic solution to this problem, according to a recent study conducted by Irish scientists.

We know that Bifidobacteria is typically found in the guts of newborns, but the amount of those species tends to decline over time.

After good results with mice, researchers turned their attention to a trial with 75 healthy human subjects who were prescribed either a large dose of aspirin (300 mg) for six weeks and Bifidobacterium breve for eight weeks or just a daily aspirin and a placebo for that same time.

(Bifidobacterium breve is one of the 10 species of beneficial bacteria contained in like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.)

During that period, scientists monitored the probiotic progress via minimally invasive video capsule endoscopy (VCE) procedures.

At the end of the study period, patients who took a probiotic scored lower for intestinal problems and ulcers compared to the placebo group.

What’s more, the use of a probiotic didn’t interfere with the main cardiovascular reasons people take a daily aspirin.

The take-home message

Taking a drug every day, no matter how beneficial it may be or benign you believe it is, comes with health risks.

Some of these issues may affect how your immune system operates naturally at its primary source — the human gut — that helps to protect you from disease.

We’re also seeing growing evidence of how beneficial bacteria from the EndoMune family may relieve some of the common problems associated with aspirin too.

Resources

Gastroenterology

University College Cork

Gut Microbiota For Health

Drugs.com

Mayo Clinic

Protect Your Gut From Aspirin Read More »

The Newest Superbug Problem: Pain Relievers

Drug interactions, Probiotics / By @drHoberman

Think about the last time you were prescribed an antibiotic or pain reliever by your doctor… Did you really need it?

An estimated 43 percent of the 130 million scripts for antibiotics were inappropriately prescribed or issued for no reason, according to a recent Oregon State University report.

These unnecessary prescriptions are creating a world in which antibiotics are losing their ability to work as they should, and that’s a real health problem for all of us.

Not only does the excessive use of antibiotics harm the healthy balance of bacteria in your gut, but these drugs can also leave you vulnerable to superbug infections like Clostridium difficile (C. diff) that are resistant to them.

Taking pain-relieving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may worsen that problem, according to a recent study appearing in mBio.

Are you taking this drug?

Taking any type of drugs come with some health concerns — even small ones. The real challenge is looking for ways to modify those risk factors in the presence of diseases like C. diff, says Dr. David Aronoff, a microbiologist, infectious disease expert, and the lead author of this study.

Scientists tracked the health of two groups of mice treated with antibiotics after being infected with C. diff. One group was treated with indomethacin, an NSAID used to treat severe pain caused by osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, while the control group received no drug.

Only 20 percent of the mice exposed to the NSAID survived to the end of the study. What’s more, mice treated with the pain-relieving drug and antibiotics experienced altered gut microbiomes and worse C. diff infections, a sign their tiny immune systems were harmed.

Why you should be concerned: Indomethacin shares roughly the same biological mechanisms as far more common over-the-counter NSAIDs you may be taking more regularly, like aspirin and ibuprofen. (Taking acetaminophen in large doses isn’t safe for your gut either.)

Protect your gut

Previously, we have warned you about the effect a higher-than-you’d-expect number of non-antibiotic drugs that treat a myriad of problems with mental health, cancer, diabetes and blood pressure have on your gut bacteria.

As much as you’d like to avoid these interactions, that may not possible. You may need to take an antibiotic, one of these other drugs — or both — that may disturb the healthy balance and immune-supportive power, either for a short time or a long time.

So, what can you do?

First, be knowledgeable about those possible interactions when consulting with your doctor or your local pharmacist.

Also, taking a probiotic, ideally, one that contains multiple strains of beneficial bacteria like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic, may be your best weapon to give your body the help it needs to maintain the healthy balance of bacteria in your gut, protect your immune system and prevent C. diff infections altogether.

Resources

mBio

American Society for Microbiology

MedlinePlus

WebMD

American Academy of Rheumatology

The Newest Superbug Problem: Pain Relievers Read More »