Sugar may worsen antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis

The effect was most apparent with added sugars and formulated nutritional drinks, including sports drinks and nutritional shakes.

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In a prospective study of 173 allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients, researchers analyzed dietary intake and longitudinal stool samples during hospitalization.
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Among samples collected after broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure, higher sweets and sugar intake was associated with lower gut microbiome alpha-diversity.
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Higher sweets intake after broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure was also associated with increased Enterococcus faecium abundance.
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In mice, sucrose amplified antibiotic-induced enterococcal expansion, but did not increase enterococcal burden without antibiotic exposure.
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The human findings were observational and single-center, and prospective studies are needed to assess whether reducing sugar during antibiotic treatment preserves the microbiome or improves outcomes.

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