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With global antibiotic use at an all-time high, gut health has become an increasingly important area of focus for both healthcare providers and researchers alike.
Individuals who regularly take antibiotics have also been interested in supporting gut health, as more research reveals how antibiotics may affect the gut.
Because antibiotics may drastically change the environment of the gut and overall gut health, knowing how to improve gut health after antibiotic use is crucial.
Improving gut health after antibiotic use may be foundational for overall health. Research indicates that gut health is intricately linked to many other aspects of a healthy body, so paying special attention to supporting the gut is crucial.
Here are ways to improve gut health after antibiotic use:
Probiotics are one of the most important ways to support the gut after antibiotic use. This is because many probiotics are designed to help repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria that may have been decimated while taking a course of antibiotics.
Many probiotics have beneficial strains like Lacticaseibacillus (previously called Lactobacillus) and Bifidobacterium. These strains are seen as beneficial because they support human gut health.
For example, research shows that Lacticaseibacillus may improve gut health by increasing mucus production, protecting the gut lining, producing antibodies like secretory immunoglobulin A (sIGA), and releasing anti-microbial peptides. These are small protein molecules that help fight against disease-causing microorganisms in the gut.
Research also shows that Bifidobacterium may play an important role in improving gut health. Bifidobacterium takes up space and nutrients that could have gone to pathogenic species. This makes it harder for disease-causing bacteria to thrive in the gut.
Furthermore, Bifidobacterium ferments nutrients to create acetic acid (the compound found in vinegar) and lactic acid, which help reduce the capacity for bacteria like Listeria and Salmonella to infect the gut.
While some healthcare practitioners recommend rotating probiotics every 3 months to introduce new strains to the gut and enrich gut microbiome diversity, at this time, there is no research that either supports or disproves this practice. It may be best to monitor your own symptoms and contact your healthcare provider with any changes or concerns.
While probiotics are crucial to repopulate beneficial gut bacteria after antibiotic use, they are only part of a holistic approach. Prebiotics may also be necessary to support gut health.
While probiotics are given the spotlight in the conversation about gut health, prebiotics can’t be ignored. Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers for humans. These indigestible fibers pass through the human digestive system unbroken down by the stomach and small intestines to serve as food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut.
If probiotics are the vehicle that promotes a healthy gut, prebiotics would be the fuel. Probiotics can’t thrive and take root in the gut without the necessary fuel to keep them fed.
Many people are taking probiotics but not giving them the necessary prebiotic fuel to populate and establish a colony in the gut, and aren’t receiving the full benefits probiotics may provide.
Prebiotics like inulin, lactulose, and fructooligosaccharides, commonly abbreviated as FOS, are extremely helpful food sources for beneficial gut bacteria.
Research also indicates that prebiotics may improve the effectiveness of ingested probiotics, so taking both a probiotic with a prebiotic may be the best approach to support gut health.
Some supplement manufacturers even include prebiotics with their probiotics to create a synbiotic supplement.
You don't just have to rely on supplements. Incorporate foods that are naturally rich in prebiotics:
One randomized controlled trial even suggested that approximately 1.1 ounces or 30 grams of 85% dark chocolate a day exerts beneficial effects on gut health due to its rich prebiotic content.
Support your probiotic supplement by eating fermented foods, which contain their own diverse strains of live bacteria. Good options include:
Postbiotics research is emerging, and it’s producing interesting findings. While the definition of postbiotics is still being refined, they are usually considered to be substances that are released or produced as a result of the metabolic functions of a microorganism that provide beneficial effects to the human host.
This means that something a bacterial species may produce as a result of breaking down and digesting a prebiotic fiber would be considered a postbiotic. Common postbiotics include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), vitamins like B12 and vitamin K, and even enzymes.
Research indicates that postbiotics may improve gut health significantly. For example, one postbiotic, the SCFA butyrate, has been shown to help repair the gut lining and strengthen the gut barrier between cells of the intestines. Research also shows that butyrate may protect intestinal cells.
In vitro, or test tube studies, indicate that the protective effects of butyrate may be dependent on dose, with a lower dose providing a more protective effect.
While exercise is essential to overall health, it may also contribute to a healthy gut after antibiotic use. One literature review found that moderate exercise with both aerobic and strength or resistance training led to a healthier immune system and a greater diversity of the gut microbiome.
The study also found that exercise helped improve the integrity of the gut barrier and improved nutrient absorption.
The importance of gut health can’t be overstated. Researchers believe that the human gut may contain well over 1,000 different species of bacteria as well as various microorganisms. This is collectively known as the gut microbiome.
The gut microbiome is a topic that is equally fascinating and increasingly popular. As research continues to unveil how integral the gut microbiome is, many authoritative and well-respected health institutions and health care providers are providing informational and educational content about supporting gut health.
Research indicates that a healthy gut microbiome is important for digestion, metabolism, immune function, and even mental health. For example, one cohort study analyzed stool samples of 198 individuals and found that those who reported anxiety had a lower population of diverse bacterial species in their gut microbiome.
The same study found that individuals with higher levels of Proteobacteria also reported having depressive symptoms. Proteobacteria are a large group of bacteria that include pathogenic or disease-causing strains like Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella.
Researchers believe that the gut microbiome can have such profound effects on human health because of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The microbiota-gut-brain axis is the intricate interplay between the gut, the brain, and the trillions of microorganisms that live in the gut.
A healthy microbiota-gut-brain axis helps regulate the immune system, reduce inflammation, support the movement of food through the digestive tract for improved gut motility, and even support hormonal health.
Having a healthy gut with diverse and beneficial bacteria is of utmost importance. With increased antibiotic use, this rich diversity that is so crucial for gut health may be compromised.
Before the advent of antibiotics, a simple wound or injury could mean death. But with the medical breakthroughs of antibiotics came a more nuanced situation. The global overuse of antibiotics in everything from humans to livestock has contributed to antibiotic resistance, but that isn’t the entire story.
Research shows that antibiotic use may significantly alter gut health. Multiple longitudinal observational studies have shown how courses of antibiotics like amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin have contributed to altered gut microbiomes up to 3 months after antibiotic use has stopped.
Some research indicates that the changes to the gut microbiome may persist even longer.
For example, one longitudinal observational study followed four individuals who had received a 7-day course of the antibiotic clindamycin and four control subjects for two years.
Fecal samples from both groups were collected at nine different times throughout the course of the study. The study’s findings were surprising. The researchers found that the group who took antibiotics had a lower level of Bacteroides, a species of bacteria that offers benefits to humans by helping break down carbohydrates to produce energy.
What’s even more shocking is that the individuals who took the antibiotic never regained the original composition of the Bacteroides population throughout the course of the 2-year study.
This research wasn’t suggesting that antibiotics are harmful or unnecessary; it was highlighting the very real effects that antibiotics may have on gut health.
Since antibiotics kill all bacteria indiscriminately, good bacteria are unfortunately destroyed too. This suggests that antibiotic use may cause significant effects on overall health, like immune system dysregulation, metabolic changes, and increased inflammation.
While antibiotic use may be unavoidable and desirable in certain infections, there is research that suggests it may significantly alter the gut microbiome. Therefore, it's essential to help support and improve the gut microbiome after antibiotic use.
By incorporating probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and regular exercise into your routine, you may be able to support a healthy gut after antibiotics and an overall healthier lifestyle.
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