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Here comes fall, everyone!
Of course, fall means sinus infections, bronchitis, and all kinds of other ailments that will require you to visit a doctor. And your likely prescription? Antibiotics.
But it may be worth it to ask your doctor about other remedies, especially considering this study’s new findings.
This study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that antibiotics are not just linked, but strongly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes.
The study tracked 1.5 million participants, and found that those who had 2 to 4 prescriptions for antibiotics filled were at a 23 percent higher risk of developing diabetes, compared to those who took no antibiotics.
Those who had five or more prescriptions filled had a whopping 53 percent higher risk of diabetes.
People who are already diabetic or pre-diabetic may get sick more often than others, says the study. However, the study found the link between antibiotics and diabetes in people who had been prescribed antibiotics up to 15 years before diagnosis.
This is one of several studies done that have found a link between antibiotics and diabetes risk, so evidence is mounting against the common drugs.
Another study found that just two to five courses of penicillin could increase your diabetes risk significantly.
What’s going on, say researchers, is that antibiotics wreak havoc on our gut bacteria—the stuff that regulates so many things in our bodies. Most antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately, meaning that it can mess with your gut’s atmosphere and lead to insulin sensitivity.
It’s a good theory, but we’re still not really sure. So in the meantime, be sure to use antibiotics only as a means to fight an illness, not protect against one you don’t even have.
