Medication affects gut health

Our gut health consists of billions of health-promoting bacteria, otherwise known as the gut microbiome. They release several chemical substances through the intestinal walls which enter into the blood circulation and affect the cells of the body in different ways. These bacteria are responsible for the breakdown of food and the processing of various vitamins and minerals in the body. A new research study published in the journal Nature analysed the impact of some common medications on gut bacteria.

The study has found that medications that lower lipid levels and blood pressure promote gut bacteria whereas antibiotics and drugs that suppress gastric acid release lower the presence of gut bacteria. The study also found that in people who take gastric acid medicine, there

is a presence of gut bacteria in the colon which are otherwise found only in the oral cavity. Under healthy circumstances, these bacteria are killed by the stomach acid before entering the system. A suppression of stomach acid leads to the presence of oral bacteria in the colon and the occurrence of colon cancer.