A study has found that eating large amounts of sugary foods while taking antibiotics may further disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome.
Researchers at City of Hope tracked the diets and gut microbiome changes of 173 patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants for blood cancers for approximately five years. The gut microbiome is a vast community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract and is involved in various bodily functions, including immunity and metabolism. Antibiotics are necessary to treat infections, but they can affect beneficial gut bacteria as well as pathogens.
The researchers analyzed 9,419 meals consumed by the patients and examined changes in their gut microbiomes using more than 1,000 stool samples collected from 158 of them. All participants took at least one type of antibiotic during their hospital stays, and approximately 80% used broad-spectrum antibiotics that act against a wide range of bacteria.
The results showed that patients who ate more sugary foods while taking antibiotics tended to have fewer types of gut microorganisms. In particular, Enterococcus overgrew in some patients, crowding out other microorganisms. Excessive growth of Enterococcus in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients can increase the risk of serious complications, including bloodstream infections.
The changes were more pronounced when sugary foods and broad-spectrum antibiotics were used together. For every additional 100g of sugar consumed, an association with an approximately 24% decrease in gut microbiome diversity was observed.
The researchers confirmed similar results in animal experiments. When healthy mice were given broad-spectrum antibiotics and then fed a sucrose-rich diet, Enterococcus in the gut rapidly increased. In contrast, mice fed only a high-sugar diet without antibiotics did not show a significant decline in gut microbiome diversity.
Dr. Marcel Vandenbrink, a co-principal investigator of the study, said, "The findings suggest that reducing sugary foods during antibiotic treatment may help protect the gut microbiome," adding, "The animal experiment results also support the association observed in patients."
However, it is too early to apply these findings directly to people taking antibiotics in general. The study participants were high-risk patients who had blood cancers and underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplants, and clinical trials are still needed to determine whether reducing sugary food intake actually protects the gut microbiome.
Dr. Vandenbrink said, "It is too early to recommend that everyone taking antibiotics avoid sugar," but added, "Reducing unnecessary sugar intake is nevertheless an approach that can be easily tried."
The findings were recently published in the international journal Nature.
Researchers at City of Hope tracked the diets and gut microbiome changes of 173 patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants for blood cancers for approximately five years. The gut microbiome is a vast community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract and is involved in various bodily functions, including immunity and metabolism. Antibiotics are necessary to treat infections, but they can affect beneficial gut bacteria as well as pathogens.
The researchers analyzed 9,419 meals consumed by the patients and examined changes in their gut microbiomes using more than 1,000 stool samples collected from 158 of them. All participants took at least one type of antibiotic during their hospital stays, and approximately 80% used broad-spectrum antibiotics that act against a wide range of bacteria.
The results showed that patients who ate more sugary foods while taking antibiotics tended to have fewer types of gut microorganisms. In particular, Enterococcus overgrew in some patients, crowding out other microorganisms. Excessive growth of Enterococcus in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients can increase the risk of serious complications, including bloodstream infections.
The changes were more pronounced when sugary foods and broad-spectrum antibiotics were used together. For every additional 100g of sugar consumed, an association with an approximately 24% decrease in gut microbiome diversity was observed.
The researchers confirmed similar results in animal experiments. When healthy mice were given broad-spectrum antibiotics and then fed a sucrose-rich diet, Enterococcus in the gut rapidly increased. In contrast, mice fed only a high-sugar diet without antibiotics did not show a significant decline in gut microbiome diversity.
Dr. Marcel Vandenbrink, a co-principal investigator of the study, said, "The findings suggest that reducing sugary foods during antibiotic treatment may help protect the gut microbiome," adding, "The animal experiment results also support the association observed in patients."
However, it is too early to apply these findings directly to people taking antibiotics in general. The study participants were high-risk patients who had blood cancers and underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplants, and clinical trials are still needed to determine whether reducing sugary food intake actually protects the gut microbiome.
Dr. Vandenbrink said, "It is too early to recommend that everyone taking antibiotics avoid sugar," but added, "Reducing unnecessary sugar intake is nevertheless an approach that can be easily tried."
The findings were recently published in the international journal Nature.