Antibiotics Early In Childhood Could Increase Risk Of Type 1 Diabetes

[DCUK NewsBot]

Young children who take a single course of antibiotics could be at an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes, researchers have said. Antibiotics have been an area of interest in type 1 diabetes development. Some previous studies have shown a link whereas other studies have played down the connection. Scientists from New York University (NYU) Medical School, US, studied millions of bacterial DNA pieces from the mice and observed the effect that one round of powerful antibiotics had. The authors found that mice were more prone to type 1 diabetes following antibiotic treatments. They hypothesised that this was because the drugs reduce the levels of beneficial of gut bacteria which may affect the immune system and make type 1 diabetes more likely to develop. Four specific bacterial species were predominant in the guts of the mice treated with the drugs, which could be influential in driving type 1 diabetes progression. The researchers also believe that certain beneficial bacteria could help influence the development of probiotics to restore healthy immune cells in newborns. Lead study author Xuesong Zhang, assistant professor of Medicine at NYU School of Medicine, said: "Our findings confirm earlier work showing that antibiotics can increase risk for type 1 diabetes. Even a single early life course may perturb the intestinal microbiome in ways that lead to long-term consequences in the intestinal wall, including immune cell changes and damage to the pancreas." There are many forms of antibiotics, which can only be accessed via prescription. They are usually given to help treat bacterial infections that will not clear up easily by themselves or may infect others. The drug is normally extremely effective, however there are concerns that overusing antibiotics can cause resistance to infections. In some cases, antibiotics have been inappropriately prescribed for viruses, for which the medications have no effect against. Previous studies have shown that mice taking multiple courses of antibiotics increases the onset of type 1 diabetes, but this is the first time researchers have looked at the effects of how taking just one round of antibiotics could affect type 1 diabetes risk. For now though the results indicate only an association, and more research - including involving humans - will need to be carried out to further investigate the link between type 1 diabetes and antibiotics. The findings of this study have been published in the journal eLife.

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[Robrunner]

I feel this is more a reflection on antibotics abuse which was touched on in the article.

As mention the over prescription of the drug on viruses that is has no effect on, and thus killing the good bacteria needlessly. Also, others who take it often don't finish the course which has now led to many bateria evoling and becoming resistance. This article from the WHO explains already just some of the infections that are harder to treat due to the resistant strain.

I believe that with the presription of antibotics it would be important to give medical and nutrition advise on what to do while and after taking it. This would then encourage growth of good bacteria in the body and reduce any long term effects on the body.

 

[ickihun]

I thought because I was premature I was more likely to suffer infections and so a chest infection and pneumonia at 3mths old was not surprising. Or was that due to both parents and nursing family smoked in front of babies?
Anyway I have type2, right? I had symptoms at 6yrs old. Maybe sooner but cannot remember.
Low immunine system would affect anyone's diabetes, surely?

 

[zand]

Alternatively not having antibiotics might result in early death if you have a bug that really does need antibiotics. My son had antibiotics aged 3 weeks because he had a bad chest infection. I breast fed him so he shouldn't have caught the bug from someone else, but he did.

My other son was premature and had antibiotics whilst still in SCBU. I am not sure what use this sort of research really is? I mean if your child is suffering you want them to get better, you aren't really going to say 'Oh I'll see if he can get better on his own because I don't want him to be more at risk of T1, are you?

 

[bulkbiker]

As the article seems to be based on yet another mouse study.. poor little rodents, and so far as I know none of us are mice then I'm guessing it can be happily ignored.. like all the other mice and rat studies.. what a complete and utter waste of time they are.

 

[ickihun]

As the article seems to be based on yet another mouse study.. poor little rodents, and so far as I know none of us are mice then I'm guessing it can be happily ignored.. like all the other mice and rat studies.. what a complete and utter waste of time they are.

I wonder if metformin was once researched on mice... then humans.
I bet none human insulin was.