Avoid Antibiotics Avoid Weight Gain
Healthy weight management is not just about calories in, calories out its also about supporting the good bacteria of the gut. Theres a connection between your gut bacteria and its influence on the types of food you crave, how satisfied you feel after eating, and how well your body is able to turn that food into energy to be burned.
An imbalance of gut bacteria can result in cravings for bad foods often caused by Candida overgrowth as well as poor digestion, hormonal imbalance, and a greater likelihood that energy will be stored as fat. This is the fast track to weight gain.
The great news is that there are plenty of alternative solutions for overcoming health battles that dont involve antibiotics. Even better is the fact that these alternatives that both will prevent you from getting sick in the first place AND help to support a healthy weight!
Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, the first step in weight management is to give your good bacteria the support that it needs to flourish. Taking probiotic supplements or eating fermented foods will go a long way in helping you shed pounds. And, of course, avoiding antibiotics until theyre necessary!
Beat your candida in 60 days with this detailed 5-step program
Do Antibiotics Make You Gain Weight
Every parent knows the value of antibiotics. Theyre among the last lines of you or your childs defense when infection strikes. And while antibiotics are meant to do good, they can also backfire when used too much too often.
Something that has recently popped up is the question, do antibiotics make you gain weight?
Weight gain and antibiotics may not sound like theyre related. However, they actually might be since these drugs affect the bacteria colonies living within our bodies. And as much as there are bad bacteria that make us sick, there are also good bacteria that promote health.
Antibiotics however, dont discriminate. They do their jobs by wiping out all bacteria, good or bad.
Drugs That May Cause Weight Gain
Here are some drug groups, and common drugs in each class, that may lead to weight gain. When possible, an alternative medicine is listed, but many medications cannot be changed or stopped, so follow your health care providers advice.. These are not complete lists of drugs that might lead to weight gain, so if you have concerns, talk to your doctor.
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Always Take Probiotics While On Antibiotics
“Antibiotics can affect natural organisms in the gut as well, causing some people to have fungal or yeast infections,” explains Calapai. “Here is where probiotics come into play as a balancing agent to control normal intestinal flora. This is also why there is a common recommendation to take probiotics while you’re taking oral antibiotics.”
People have experienced some weight loss when taking a probiotic due to the improvement of their digestion and overall health.
“Probiotics are good for your bacteria and provide many health benefits when ingested,” Raj agrees. “Probiotics have been linked to weight loss due to their ability to balance gut bacteria, improve better digestion, decrease inflammation, which is a result of less bloating, and help to better absorb nutrients from food. They have also been linked to faster metabolism and increased immunity. People have experienced some weight loss when taking a probiotic due to the improvement of their digestion and overall health.”
Both Calapai and Raj believe all people should consult their doctor before heeding any of this advice.“If antibiotics are medically necessary, then work with your doctor on ways to support digestive health during and after your course of treatment,” explains Raj.
Antibiotics Being Used In Our Food Sources
Another interesting way antibiotics are leading to weight gain is through our intake of farm-bred meats. Farmers have found that antibiotics can help their animals to grow fatter. This should already give you a hint of what these drugs to humans as well.
Hence, instead of using healthier food for their breed, they tend to resort antibiotics to their animals. Its a quick and sure way to get higher prices when they go to market. This ultimately mean that the meat we buy or eat in restaurants is rich in fat, not leaner. Thus resulting in weight gain.
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Side Effects Of Antibiotics
As with most medication however, the intake of antibiotics has its side effects.
Over use of antibiotics can make certain infectious microorganisms resistant. This means that using the same antibiotics for that illness may not work next time. This is how superbugs, or infections that dont have any antibiotic that can get rid of them, come about.
Common side effects reported from the use of various antibiotics include heartburn, diarrhea, fungal infections, nausea, bloating and vomiting to name a few.
Because of their side effects, these drugs are often prescribed by physicians later on the treatment, unless there are no other drugs that can be used.
Antibiotic Use By Country
In May, though, the German government announced an aggressive reduction strategy. Denmark and the Netherlands have successfully reduced antibiotic use dramatically in the past five years. Meanwhile, the use of antibiotics in the U.S. and most other countries continues to increase. Congress did recently vote to increase spending on antibiotic resistance, but none of that money went to the Department of Agriculture. If worldwide use continues at the current rate, by 2030 there will be 211 million pounds of antibiotics going into livestock every yearcreating resistant bacteria and bleeding into soil, water, and the food system.
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At a cover price of $189.00, gastroenterologist David Johnsons newtextbookThe Gut Microbiome: New Understanding and Potential Translational Applications for Disease Management will reach many millions fewer people than Buzzfeeds video extolling some downright glorious cheeseburger-stuffed tater tots. The first time Johnson told me his book title, I thought he was just describing the book. My next question was, Oh, whats it called? He repeated the title, somehow not sounding at all annoyed or confused.
We’re animals, just like food animals, Riley said We give them antibiotics so they get fat. We are exposed to those antibiotics. It seems like a very common sense idea.
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That might still feel doomy. What if you told people that an antibiotic could slow their metabolism?
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Antibiotics And Weight Gain: Here’s What You Need To Know
A 2013 U.S. study found that young children who regularly take antibiotics are at a higher risk of becoming obese than children who take fewer drugs. There have been several interesting studies done on antibiotics in relation to weight. One study done with mice found that those exposed to antibiotics gained twice as much weight as those mice on the same diet. Another study proved that antibiotics have a significant effect on the body’s hunger hormone, called ghrelin. It’s secreted primarily in the lining of the stomach and sends signals to your brain to make you want to eat, and when your ghrelin levels are high, you tend to eat more, which leads to weight gain.
We reached out to a real woman who’ve had a trying time with antibiotics. Susan shared with us that after consulting her doctor, she took his advice and started taking antibiotics to control her hormonal acne. After two months, she noticed a significant change in her weight. “Within a few months of taking antibiotics, I gained 14 pounds,” she says. “I knew this wasn’t normal, because this has never happened to me before in my life. I was at the highest weight I’d ever been in my adult life in such a short amount of time. And at that time I was already in a workout groove, going to the gym regularly, and eating healthy. I was so baffled and wondering why I was gaining so much weight.”
Ways To Lose Weight Gain Caused By Medication
Antidepressants and steroids like prednisone often lead to extra pounds.
People living with issues like autoimmune diseases, from Crohns to rheumatoid arthritis , or mood disorders like depression have powerfully effective medications out there to help minimize or eliminate their symptoms so that they can live comfortably.
Yet some of the common drugs for these issues like prednisone and other corticosteroids, and paroxetine and other antidepressants have less-than-desirable side effects. One major side effect of these drugs is weight gain.
And while you should go easy on yourself youre battling an illness, after all it can be a frustrating adverse effect.
Read on to find out the best ways to lose unwanted pounds brought on by medication you need.
, and mood stabilizers are common drugs that have the most potential to increase weight gain. All 12 of the leading antidepressants, including fluoxetine , sertraline , and escitalopram , make gaining weight more likely.
With approximately
like prednisone may also have similar effects. Alanna Cabrero, MS, a registered dietician at NYU Langone Healths IBD Center, says steroids are often used to tackle inflammatory conditions like IBD, Crohns, arthritis, lupus, and osteoarthritis.
For some of these medications, nearly 70 percent of users reported weight gain as a side effect.
Medications that cause weight gain include:
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Is My Medication Causing Me To Gain Weight
If you have started a new medication in the last 6 months to a year, and put on more than a few pounds, think about ways this might have happened:
- Have you been eating more calories, either in the types of food you eat or the amount of food you eat? What about your salt intake?
- Did you change the amount of daily activity you do, such as less exercising or more sitting at a desk or computer?
- Have you had a significant change or stressor in your life that may have lead to overeating?
Patients should also ask their healthcare provider about the potential for weight gain before a new medication is prescribed. And remember, medications may affect patients differently, and not every patient will gain weight. Worries about weight gain or loss should not usually be the main deciding factor for needed medical treatment.
Anticonvulsants And Mood Stabilizers
Some anticonvulsant drugs can be associated with significant weight gain up to 30 to 40 lbs in some cases over the long-term.
Weight gain
- Divalproex is used to treat epilepsy , bipolar disorder and for migraine prevention. Other agents that can affect weight include carbamazepine , pregabalin and gabapentin .
- Lithium is also commonly used for mood disorders and is associated with a significant weight gain. Up to 65% of patients may gain over 20 lbs after many years of use.
Weight loss or weight neutral
- Topiramate , used for seizures and migraine headaches, might actually cause weight loss in some people. Other options might include zonisamide or lamotrigine .
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Antibiotics Can Cause An Overgrowth Of Bad Bacteria
“Antibiotics cause destruction of digestive flora and bacterial imbalance, one of the most common causes of bloating,” explains Christopher Calapai, DO, a board-certified osteopathic physician in family medicine, anti-ageing medicine, and chelation therapy. “Additionally, antibiotics can cause a change in bowel habits and food and nutrient absorption, which may cause you to feel tired or weak.”
Calapai stresses the importance of not overusing antibiotics: “If mistreated, antibiotics can damage intestinal bacteria, and that translates into metabolic changes. They can damage mitochondria, which affects your weight because mitochondria’s main job is to convert food into energy. Antibiotics can also increase blood levels of the ghrelin, which is a strong appetite stimulant.”
Roshini Raj, gastroenterologist, doctor of internal medicine, and founder of the probiotic-based skincare line Tula agrees. “Antibiotics are a class of drugs that are meant to kill infection-causing bacteria,” says Raj, who explains antibiotics generally also kill off many healthy or good gut bacteria, which can throw the digestive system off balance and allow an overgrowth of bad bacteria that may cause people to gain weight.
How Antibiotics Can Lead To Weight Gain And Obesity
Studies in mice have shown that changes in the gut microbiota caused by antibiotic use can alter the bodys metabolism in such a way that it leads to fat accumulation. It appears that the disruption to the ecosystem of the gut results in it being programmed to lean towards obesity, due to a metabolic phenotype. The most alarming thing about this finding is that the obesity-prone metabolic phenotype persists long after the course of antibiotics has ceased even after the gut microbiota has recovered.
Its also been known for a long time that farm animals treated with antibiotics tend to gain weight more rapidly. Antibiotics have been used as a means of fattening up farm animals for several decades, particularly in the US. Feeding antimicrobials helps to dramatically increase the average daily weight gain of livestock such as cattle and pigs.
This is because the antibiotics reduce the pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tracts of the animals, preventing parasites such as worms from inhibiting their weight gain. This works out well for the farmer as it improves feed efficiency. However, we humans depend on the bacteria in our gut for our health and wellbeing!
Although its claimed that this method of growth promotion requires only small amounts of antibiotics in the animals feed, its thought to be a contributing factor in the worldwide spread of antibiotic resistance not to mention obesity.
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What Was The Research About
Antibiotics are medicines that help fight infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics can cause side effects. One side effect may be weight gain. Weight gain may result when antibiotics kill good bacteria in the gut as well as the bacteria causing infection.
In this study, the research team wanted to learn how antibiotic use before age two affected weight and growth. The team reviewed childrens health records and looked at
- Body mass index, or BMI, at ages 5 and 10. BMI is a measure of a persons body fat based on their height and weight.
- Risk of having overweight or obesity at ages 5 and 10.
- How fast children gained weight between ages 2 and 5.
The research team looked separately at children with and without long-term health problems.
Eat Small Frequent Meals
Your appetite can increase while taking specific medications, so you may be tempted to eat more.
Instead of having three massive meals throughout the day, breaking up your food into smaller, more frequent meals can make you feel like youre consuming more calories because you have little time between snacks to be hungry.
Its recommended to stave off hunger by eating six small meals a day versus three large ones.
Cabrero suggests you try to integrate nonstarchy veggies, or what she calls volume-rich foods, into your diet. Theyre nutritious and dont have a lot of calories, says Cabrero. Experiment beyond cut-up carrots: try veggie soups and salads.
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Antibiotic Exposure And Risk Of Weight Gain And Obesity: Protocol For A Systematic Review
1Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON Canada
3School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
4The Ottawa Hospital, 1967 Riverside Drive, Riverside Campus, 4th floor, Ottawa, ON K1H 7W9 Canada
Surprising Ways You Can Gain Weight: Taking Antibiotics
Its not uncommon to get a prescription for antibiotics when youre dealing with an infection. But could the pills youre taking make you gain weight? In a recent study at Emory University in Atlanta, researchers observed a link between intestinal bacteria andweight gain in lab mice.
Researchers found that mice that were bred without a certain protein that regulates intestinal bacteria were heavier than the mice that did have the protein. The studys researchers point to antibiotics as one of the factors that could cause such changes in intestinal bacteria in humans, according to reports.
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How Antibiotics Increase Hunger
One way that antibiotics may lead to weight gain is because of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin is sometimes called the hunger hormone and its incredibly powerful. Have you ever seen a TV commercial with a plate of hot, crisp, french fries, and felt a wave of hunger wash over you? Thats not your imagination – its ghrelin. Even seeing a picture of tempting food can spur our bodies to produce more ghrelin, and this hormone makes you feel hungry. Its no surprise that by increasing the ghrelin in your body, youre more likely to overeat. Some research shows antibiotics may play a role in increasing ghrelin.
A particularly interesting study looked at a group of Veterans who were given antibiotics to get rid of a strain of bad bacteria known as H. Pylori. While the antibiotics were successful at getting rid of the bad bacteria in almost all the cases, the inevitable happened: the antibiotics also wiped out good bacteria. Its important to understand that antibiotics are not smart. They cannot distinguish good bacteria from bad, so when you take these medications, you will also wipe out many of the healthy bacteria in your gut.
This last statement is especially important because it indicates not only a change during the short course of antibiotics that most people take, but significant changes in BMI even 12 months following the course of antibiotics.