Antibiotics kill pathogenic bacteria that cause infections of the respiratory tract, urinary system or other body systems. Although generally beneficial in restoring your health, antibiotics may also destroy some of the beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive tract, potentially causing diarrhea and general digestive upset. Taking probiotics while on prescription antibiotic medicines may help you avoid these problems. Discuss taking probiotics with your doctor to decide if they are a good choice for you.
Beneficial Bacteria
Your digestive tract contains many different species of beneficial bacteria, comprising thousands of colonies that help digest food and add bulk to your stool. Together, all these healthy bacteria make up the normal intestinal flora. These bacteria release chemicals such as lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide when they break down food, two chemicals that create an acidic environment and help suppress growth of other, potentially harmful species of bacteria.
Effects of Antibiotics
When you take antibiotics to suppress an infection, a side effect may be destruction of many colonies of beneficial bacteria in your intestines. This can lead to an overgrowth of other types of potentially harmful bacteria and can result in diarrhea. One strategy to avoid these problems when taking antibiotics is to consume foods or supplements containing probiotics, live colonies of bacteria similar or identical to those healthy forms that normally populate your intestines.
Probiotic Foods
A number of foods contain live probiotic microorganisms, including unpasteurized yogurt or cheese, and milk or other dairy products enriched with lactobacillus cultures. Other foods that have been fermented and contain live bacteria are also probiotics. These include fermented cabbage dishes such as sauerkraut or kimchi; fermented soybean products such as natto, miso or tempeh; and kefir, a fermented drink made from cow, goat or sheep's milk. To preserve the live bacteria in these foods, do not heat them at high temperatures.
Supplements
Probiotic supplements are also available in capsules from health foods stores. Keep these supplements refrigerated to maintain quality of the cultures. The supplements are generally considered safe, although they may cause some intestinal upset, gas or bloating. Discuss using supplements with your doctor before adding them to your regimen.
Recommendations
When taking antibiotics, consuming probiotic foods or supplements may be very helpful in maintaining colonies of healthy bacteria in your system. However, for best results, consume probiotics at different times of day than antibiotics; ideally, probiotics should be taken about two hours after antibiotics. After completion of your course of antibiotics, it may be helpful to take extra amounts of probiotics for about two weeks, to build up the normal flora of your intestines.
References
- The Harvard Medical School Family Guide: Health Benefits of Taking Probiotics
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Lactobacillus Acidophilus
- "Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness"; Probiotics and Antibiotics: A Brief Overview; S. Biradar, et al.; 2005
- The Conscious Life: Top Probiotics Foods You Are Not Eating
