Sugar intake during antibiotic use accelerates gut microbiome collapse, study finds
A new study in Nature reveals that consuming sugary foods while taking antibiotics significantly worsens gut microbiome disruption. Researchers found that sugar intake during antibiotic treatment led to a 24% drop in bacterial diversity for every 100-gram increase in sweets, promoting the overgrowth of harmful Enterococcus bacteria. This effect was confirmed in mouse models, where sugar supplementation increased Enterococcus populations by up to 33-fold. The findings suggest that limiting sugar during antibiotic courses could protect gut health and improve clinical outcomes, particularly for cancer patients undergoing stem cell transplants.
