New report links early life antibiotic use to inflammatory gut diseases in adulthood

No big surprise on the link btwn antibiotics and IBD, but good to see this is becoming accepted as a mainstream medical reality. Link to press release here:
http://chattahbox.com/health/2017/04/03/new-report-links-early-life-antibiotic-use-to-inflammatory-gut-diseases-in-adulthood/

I just tried the link and it worked for me. To your comment, I think some antibiotics more than others do more severe harm to the microbiome. But there are so many other factors, like genetic susceptibility, diet that make some people more prone than others to developing IBD.

Another factor is that our food supply has been tainted with antibiotics, along with steroids, pesticides and GMO's. The 3rd world countries are only recently catching up to us in fast food consumption and tainted food supply.

Another thing to look is how we were born. People who were born through C-section tend to be more vulnerable since they haven't been exposed to the vaginal beneficial bacteria. Also if the mother had candida or any other yeast infection, that will affect child gut as well. Besides that, the food we were fed is also the culprit. Breastmilk is the complete food and is responsible for building mucosa. The baby formula may have nutritional component but bacteria is what protect gut for future damage. Many times mothers are not able to do that. I still believe that the best substitute for breast milk is raw goat milk mixed with water in ratio 1:3. I am sure that antibiotics, toxins, chlorine etc are responsible for damage in our gut especially when we are sensitive. Amoxicillin is one of the most dangerous antibiotics. Still, they are giving it to children.

Equation for autoimmune disease:

Environment (food, antibiotics, carcinogens, etc.) + Genetics (some people are predisposed) +
Immune regulation (your body attacks healthy tissues)=
Autoimmune disease

My case was a perfect storm for Colitis.
1. I took a lot of unneccesary antibiotics as a small child, so much that I became resistant to penicilin and often had to take stronger ones.
2. I ate tons of processed foods and fast foods--it was the 80's and nobody knew how bad they were.
3. I abused NSAID's for awhile as a kid (I should have been on antidepressants), enough that they thought I had a stomach ulcer.
4. I always had constipation from a very young age--I think a doctor gave me my first enema at age 5?
5. My mom was a smoker. I became a smoker as an angsty teenager. And 4 months after I quit, I was hospitalized and diagnosed with UC.

I don't think my disease is gentic so much as my gut was abused in every way possible. In addition to the above, I also believe that the fact that I was only breastfed for a short time played a role.

As a Mom I have breastfed my kid for 2 years, through several bouts of mastitis (for which I had to take antibiotics, and now I'm flaring--after a round of an antibiotic that tore up my stomach).
But any discomfort I endure is worth it because she never gets sick (except a recent virus and a couple minor colds). I will be very careful about giving her antibiotics and I'm glad she hasn't needed them yet (because breastmilk is amazing and the mechanics of nursing also helps prevent ear infections). I know her gut is much better off than mine because the breastmilk has boosted her immune system and also built up the mucosa in her gut. She was EBF to 6 months and gluten-free until 1.5 years. I feed her all organic meats and mostly organic vegetables, and she drinks water (never juice) and eats very little refined sugar, and any processed food she eats is mostly organic. Basically, I'm doing everything opposite of how I was raised.

***When I see pregnant IBD moms say they arent going to breastfeed because they take medications, even though their doctors said it's ok to breastfeed, I just want to shake them!!! Breastfeeding is THE best thing you can do for your baby as an IBD mom--it protects their gut and builds a strong immune system, which prevents our babies from getting our disease.

Hey Suebear, can you point to any studies that give you the assurance that: "if you don't have the IBD gene, you aren't going to just 'get' it."

I have read of genetic factors that increase the susceptibility to IBD, and even a gene(s) that protects the gut from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). I have also recently participated in a 23andMe genetic study on UC done on behalf of some pharmaceutical company to try to find common genetic makers. As far as I have read there may be several genetic combinations that make one more susceptible to IBD? I have also seen that IBD can be induced via certain drugs though researchers don't know if that it is in combination with some genetic predisposition that they haven't identified yet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22573536

Forgot to mention. The vaccine can contribute bowel inflammation later in life. Especially for people who were born after 1986, when MMR was introduced.

http://www.nvic.org/nvic-archives/newsletter/autismandvaccines.aspx

It is more about autism but there is also info about IBD at the botom

"Evidence has been documented that measles infection as well as the MMR vaccine may be involved in the development of a syndrome involving both inflammatory bowel disease and regressive developmental disorder in children"

It is interesting that almost every child with autism has some sort of IBD, food allergies etc.

When you add antibiotics, gmo, pesticides no wonder why people suffer so much.

Suebear,

Neat that you were able to attend that symposium! I am pleased that the medical community is working on identifying and understanding the mechanisms for diseases like ours, and maybe they will find a silver bullet. But when I see recent epidemiological studies clearly demonstrating that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially ulcerative colitis, is a rapidly emerging disease in the Asia Pacific region, I come to the conclusion that the rapid change in environment, i.e. over usage of drugs, various pollutions, but especially dietary habits and a nutritionally weakened food supply, is what is making so many people sick today despite our medical advances.

My vote is UC is a genetic deficiency, we were born with an immune system with a genetic-caused weakness that makes us less able to defend ourselves from foreign invaders. Perhaps we're less able to rebound from large shocks/kill offs of gut bacterium, perhaps our mucosa defenses are less capable then others, or something else. So we get UC and others do not. I agree there's likely multiple triggers.

The combination thereof (inactive genetic code getting turned on) is where it gets really interesting. Or fascinating as Spock would say lol. I generally air on the side of simplicity of explanation.

Everyone will be real happy after they read this one, just came out within the hour on medical express.
Old Mike

Long-term antibiotic use in early to mid-life linked to cancer-inducing polyps

/medicalxpress.com/news/2017-04-long-term-antibiotic-early-mid-life-linked.html

Plucky said...
Sorry notsosicklygirl, I did take your post personally and read it out of context. Totally my bad. FWIW, I was arguing with my prescription insurance all afternoon and was not my usual chipper self.

I didn't even notice. No worries. I didn't mean to say none of it is important. I just meant that I don't think it made a difference for me & I don't want to sit around blaming my mom, or making other moms feel guilty if they didn't breastfeed. I wish my mom had breastfed us, seems so weird not to these days, but back then, it was very acceptable not to breastfeed. People want to do it now, it's great. The body is capable of it, so why not do as nature intended...

I was just making a bullet list of stuff that I have seen and that relates to me. Maybe the casual smoking or the NSAIDs were the root of my issues, maybe the breastfeeding, who knows. I feel like it was just "in the cards" for whatever reason. Maybe I have hit a point where it's pointless to worry about why