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Health Articles

Are Antibiotics Making Us Fat?

Brian Bartholomew - Sunday, December 18, 2011

Farmers have long used antibiotics to fatten up livestock—and now there’s growing evidence that these drugs may have the same effect on people.  What’s more, instead of being miracle cures, there’s now scary speculation that antibiotics could be jeopardizing our health by making us more prone to lifestyle diseases, from type 2 diabetes to heart attacks and fatal strokes. If that sounds far-fetched, consider this: States with the highest rates of antibiotic prescriptions also rank as the least healthy,Wired magazine reported on November 25.

When the nonprofit research group Extending the Cure recently mapped antibiotic prescriptions by state, it found the heaviest use (measured per 1,000 people) in the eastern half of the US, particularly West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama, all of which comprise the so-called Stroke Belt, due to the high rate of stroke fatalities. According to CDC data, Wired adds, these states (and to a lesser extent, much of the eastern US) also have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart attacks, compared to the western US. While these correlations don’t prove that antibiotic overuse triggers these diseases, studies suggest that it could drive up obesity by changing how our stomachs work. Here’s a look at the findings.

Learn how certain foods can help you manage your blood sugar levels.

First shown to cause weight gain in 1954.

More than a half century ago, a randomized study published in Nutrition reported that Navy recruits who were given daily doses of broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as chlortetracycline or penicillin, to prevent strep infections gained 4.8 pounds over 7 weeks, compared to a 2.7 pound gain in recruits given a placebo. 

Eradicating beneficial gut bacteria.

In the early 20th century, helicobacter pylori was the dominant stomach microbe, Dr. Martin Blaser, a microbiologist professor at New York University Langone Medical Center, recently reported in Nature. Today, the average American child receives 10 to 20 courses of antibiotics by age 18, and fewer than 6 percent of US kids carry the organism. While that may not sound like a problem, given that H. pylori raises risk for stomach ulcers and gastric cancer, Dr. Blaser has discovered that killing off this bug dramatically changes how the stomach works, tricking the body into overeating. 

A six-fold rise in hunger hormones.

Normally, after a meal, levels of the hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin drop, signaling that we’re full. However, a 2011 study by Dr. Blaser and other scientists found that after veterans were treated with antibiotics to eradicate H. pylori, they had 20 percent rise in leptin levels after a meal, while levels of ghrelin skyrocketed six times higher. And 18 months after treatment, on average, participants had a 5 percent rise in their body mass index. That would be a 10-pound gain in someone with a starting weight of 200. 

Links to other diseases.

“Overuse of antibiotics could be fuelling the dramatic increase in conditions such as obesity, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies and asthma, which have more than doubled in many populations,” reports Dr. Blaser, who was recently awarded a $6.5 million grant from the NIH to study links between disappearing gut bacteria and obesity. Conversely, New York University epidemiologist Yu Chen found that infection with H. Pylori, which typically occurs before age 10, reduced risk for childhood-onset asthma, skin allergies and hay fever.

Find delicious ways to keep cholesterol off your plate and out of your heart.

A biological weapon against asthma and obesity.

Swiss and German researchers have discovered that infecting mice with H. pylori actually prevents asthma, an airway disease that’s reached epidemic levels as the levels of the once common stomach bug wane. Dr. Barry Marshall, the Australian biologist who received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of H. pylori as the cause of gastritis and stomach ulcers, even predicts that one day, a weakened strain of the bacteria will be used to treat both asthma and obesity, according to the New York Times. 

Using probiotics to slim down.

While antibiotics may make us fat, probiotics appear to have the opposite effect. Last year, a randomized study of overweight people with large waists found that those who drank fermented milk containing the probiotic Lactobacillus daily for 12 weeks reduced both belly fat and body weight, compared to a control group who didn’t receive probiotics. A 2009 study found that a year after giving birth, women who took daily probiotic supplements containing Lactobaccillus and Bifidobacterium during the first trimester of pregnancy were much less likely to develop abdominal obesity, the most dangerous type of fat. 

The bottom line.

While research into the link between antibiotics and fat is still ongoing, overuse of these powerful drugs is already widely recognized as dangerous due to the growing threat of drug-resistant superbugs.  Therefore, the best way to protect your health—and perhaps avoid packing on extra pounds--is to only take antibiotics when medically necessary. They don’t work on colds, flu or other viral illnesses.

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What Are The Consequences of the Disappearing of Many of the Human Bacteria and Viri?

Brian Bartholomew - Thursday, December 01, 2011

What are the consequences of the disappearing human microbiota?

Martin J. Blaser 

Humans and our ancestors have evolved since the most ancient times with a commensal microbiota. The conservation of indicator species in a niche-specific manner across all of the studied human population groups suggests that the microbiota confer conserved benefits on humans. Nevertheless, certain of these organisms have pathogenic properties and, through medical practices and lifestyle changes, their prevalence in human populations is changing, often to an extreme degree. In this Essay, we propose that the disappearance of these ancestral indigenous organisms, which are intimately involved in human physiology, is not entirely beneficial and has consequences that might include post-modern conditions such as obesity and asthma.


Dr. Brian: Studies looking at bacterial and probiotic populations in the guts of obese and non-obese individuals find striking bacterial differences.  Could it be that the reason that so many of our young people are overweight or obese is linked to the fact that they are given so many antibiotics and vaccines containing antibiotics?  Many of today's best scientists think that is a great possibility.


What are the long term consequences of killing off helpful or even somewhat dangerous bacteria?  What happens when you kill of say a Strep pneumonia bacteria that we all have on our skin and the competing bacteria Staph Aureus then over populates?  You have all head of MRSA and a deadly Staph infection.  If we synthetically alter and mess with bacterial populations without respect of forethought we are setting that stage for massive individual and societal problems.  If we do this violent and suppressive antibiotic assault in a younger or immune comprised individual the results can be deadly. 


It is essential that you gain knowledge about gut health, probiotics and the dangers of antibiotics. 


Top 6 Ways to Improve Good Bacteria and Bacterial Balance:

1. Play outside in the dirt, breath country air, get outside!

2. Do not use or overuse antibiotic soaps, sanitizing gels and chemically dangerous cleaning products.

3. Eat raw, live foods from local healthy farms and gardens

4. Eat fermented foods like kimchi and lacto fermented carrots and cabbage daily. 

5. Read our probiotic foods page and start eating more probiotic foods.

6. Avoid unnecessary vaccines, medications and antibiotics for yourself and your family!

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Top 10 Probiotics

Brian Bartholomew - Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Top 10 Probiotics

Posted By Dr. Axe On March 20, 2011 

[1]According to a study performed by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “Twelve weeks of consuming a fermented milk product containing the Lactobacillus strain was associated with a 4.6 per cent reduction in abdominal fat…”.

Probiotics are live bacteria that are beneficial to the human body. It is a fermented product that deliver a dose of healthy bacteria. They are produced by the action of lactic acid bacteria and yeast or the combination of both.

These fermented products are good for the body in a few ways.

  • Break down sugars to more digestible and healthier products
  • Break down carbohydrates into easier to digest and healthier foods
  • Help control harmful bacteria in the body
  • Fight diarrhea
  • Help with indigestion
  • Fight chronic inflammation
  • Boost immune system function

It’s a good idea to make probiotics part of your weekly diet. In fact, you should eat a variety of types of probiotics as each one offers a different type of beneficial bacteria to help the body in different ways.

7 Types of ‘Friendly’ Bacteria

  • Lactobacillus acidophilus
  • Lactobacillus bulgarius
  • Lactobacillus reuteri
  • Streptococcus thermophilus
  • Saccharomyces boulardii
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum
  • Bacillus subtilis

No matter how much you know about probiotics or not it’s vital to make them a part of your daily (or at least weekly) diet. There are some sources for probiotics with more to offer than others but generally speaking the following list of ten probiotics provides the consumer with a source of good or friendly bacteria.

1. Yogurt (Raw milk or goat’s milk)

Made from bacteria that ferments the natural sugars in milk, yogurt is a classic food that just about everyone has had before. Using raw milk or goat’s milk preserves the natural sugars and other nutritious elements that would otherwise be destroyed in a pasteurization process. Store bought yogurt is generally all put through this process and is further processed by adding additional sugars or flavorings. If you do purchase yogurt in a store, make sure it is plain yogurt with no flavors, colors or other additives.

1. Kefir

Kefir is a popular drink in much of Europe. It is especially asked for in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Hungary. It is made by adding kefir grains to milk from a cow, goat, or sheep. This mixture is then left to ferment for a day. This fermentation process breaks down the lactose in milk to create a lactose-free product.

Today you can also find kefir made from soy, coconut, or rice milk. You can drink Kefir alone or use it as a substitute for milk in recipes.

3. Miso

Miso is a traditional Japanese spice found in many of their traditional foods. If you’ve ever been to a Japanese restaurant you may have seen their Miso soup.

It is created by fermenting soybean, barley, or brown rice with koji. Koji is a fungus and the fermentation process takes anywhere from a few days to a few years to complete.

Miso can be made into a soup, spread on crackers, use it anywhere you’d use butter, or just about anywhere you want.

4. Natto

Natto has a distinct odor (often considered pungent.) It is a type of fermented soybean. Japanese staple it most often eaten with rice for breakfast.

5. Fermented Cabbage or Carrots

Sauerkraut and kimchi are both fermented cabbage products offering the healthy kind of bacteria or probiotics. Sauerkraut is the German version and kimchi is the Korean version of this fermented cabbage.

6. Tempeh

Hailing from Indonesia this fermented soybean product is another source of probiotics. Tempeh is created by adding a tempeh starter to soybeans. The product is then left to sit for a day or two. The result is a cake-like product.

You can eat tempeh raw or by boiling it and eating it with miso or soy sauce. It can also be used as a substitute for meat in a stir fry meal. This is commonly deep fried before eating but beware this can greatly reduce its nutritional value.

7. Brine-cured olives

Olives that are brine cured are an excellent source of probiotics too. Be sure you select a product that is organic first. Next be certain that your olives aren’t made from a huge manufacturer. Choose a smaller company that advertises probiotics. Also make sure that your olives don’t contain sodium benzoate.

You can eat the olives by themselves as a snack or include them in your favorite recipes.

8. Salted gherkin pickles

These fermented tasty treats are also a little recognized source of probiotics. Again, choose a food manufacturer that uses organic products and also a smaller one. If you can find a local maker you’ll be getting some of the best probiotics for your health.

9. Fermented cheeses

Cheeses are created by fermentation. The process involves adding microbes to the starter product (a culture of lactic acid bacteria) and allowing it to ferment. The fermentation process can take a few days or a few years depending on the specific desired end product. The end result? Cheese. Aged cheeses may have more beneficial bacteria.

10. Apple cider vinegar

This offers probiotics too. Great for controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and even weight loss, apple cider vinegar is a great daily addition that will bring many benefits. Drink a small bit each day or use it as a salad dressing. Read more about apple cider vinegar from this article [2].

With the craze for probiotics many food manufacturers are simply trying to jump on the band wagon and cash in for themselves. If you’re serious about getting immune system boosting, digestive helping probiotics into your diet then consider some of the food sources listed in the beginning of this article. If you do need to supplement your probiotic intake, I highly recommend Garden of Life’s Primal Defense Ultimate Probiotic Forumla [3]

For additional reading, read my 2009 article explaining more of the benefits of probiotics and your health [4].

Sources:

Dr. Axe

Dr. Axe's Action Steps

  1. Start eating natural foods that contain probiotics
  2. Learn how to make your own yogurt, kefir or one of the other foods listed above
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