A new study suggests that you must think twice before you take in antibiotics. According to this new study by Dr. Martin Blaser, antibiotics may not only destroy that harmful bacteria hat live inside the human body but the good ones as well!
In a commentary published on the Nature journal Blaser wrote, “Antibiotics kill the bacteria we do want, as well as those we don’t. Sometimes, our friendly flora never fully recover.”
With the bacteria dead, humans become more vulnerable to harmful diseases, especially diabetes, asthma, allergies and, take note, obesity! An example of the bacterium that Blaser cited was the Helicobacter pylori, which was a “dominant microbe in the stomachs of almost all people” in the early 1900s. This bacteria is now almost gone.
This bacterium is linked to stomach ulcer and cancer but at the same time, it protects against gastroesophageal reflux, a condition that lead to esophageal cancer. “Two hormones found in the stomach – ghrelin and leptin – perform differently when H. pylori isn’t around. Ghrelin is the hormone responsible for teling the brain that you’re hungry and leptin is supposed to send the signal that you’re full.”
Without the H pylori, these two hormones could send mixed signals. Instead of signaling that your stomach is already full, it could tell your brain that you’re still hungry. Naturally, this could only lead to you being fat after a period of time.
So next time you think of taking antibiotic, think about getting fat!