Here's why antibiotics aren't as good for you as they seem
| Sep 26, 2018, 17:00 IST
Recently, a research conducted found that the body's microbes can effectively kill certain oral infections while maintaining immune cells. Research done at the Case Western Reserve University found that antibiotics end up killing the "good bacteria" in the body. For the longest time, scientists have known that antibiotics can do more harm than good. Prolonged use of them can cause the bacteria to become resistant. But they didn't know whether this applied to oral health as well.
"We set out to find out what happens when you don't have bacteria to fight a fungal infection," said Pushpa Pandiyan, a researcher. "What we found was that antibiotics can kill short-chain fatty acids produced by body's own good bacteria. We have good bacteria doing good work every day, why kill them. As is the case with many infections, if you leave them alone, they will leave on their own," Pandiyan added. With oral health, they found that the body's natural defenses worked well enough to fight the bacteria. And antibiotics only hinder the effects of these natural defenses. Stay tuned for more updates.
"We set out to find out what happens when you don't have bacteria to fight a fungal infection," said Pushpa Pandiyan, a researcher. "What we found was that antibiotics can kill short-chain fatty acids produced by body's own good bacteria. We have good bacteria doing good work every day, why kill them. As is the case with many infections, if you leave them alone, they will leave on their own," Pandiyan added. With oral health, they found that the body's natural defenses worked well enough to fight the bacteria. And antibiotics only hinder the effects of these natural defenses. Stay tuned for more updates.