Strengthening the immune system after taking antibiotics

Antibiotics are a powerful protector against bacterial infections. However, they can sometimes cause side effects, such as diarrhea and liver damage. Some foods can reduce these side effects, while others can make them worse.

The immune system is a collection of white blood cells, lymphocytes in the blood, lymph nodes, bone marrow and spleen that have the same job of protecting the body from invading germs. The most distributed location of the immune system is in the "inputs" of the body, especially the respiratory and digestive tracts. When the immune system is weak, it causes many external influences that make the body decline and affect internal factors in the body.
By producing antibodies or self-destructing by destroying enzymes, phagocytosis, invading agents from outside such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites will be localized and destroyed. cannot cause disease. Whatever causes the immune system to be damaged, it is no longer able to guarantee this function, which is called the immunodeficiency syndrome.

An antibiotic is a medicine used to treat bacterial infections. There are many different types of antibiotics. Some are broad-spectrum, which means they work on a wide range of disease-causing bacteria. Antibiotics are important and effective in treating serious infections. However, they can come with some unwanted side effects.
For example, overuse of antibiotics can damage your liver. A study has shown that antibiotics are the most common drugs that cause liver damage.
Antibiotics can also have a dramatic effect on the trillions of bacteria and other bacteria that live in your gut. These bacteria are collectively known as the gut microbiota. In addition to killing disease-causing bacteria, antibiotics can kill healthy bacteria.
Taking too many antibiotics can drastically change the number and type of bacteria in the gut microbiome, especially in early life
In fact, just one week of antibiotics can change Changes in the structure of the gut microbiota for up to one year. Some studies have shown that changes to the gut microbiome caused by excessive antibiotic use in early life may even increase the risk of weight gain and obesity.
Furthermore, the overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, making them ineffective at killing pathogenic bacteria.
Finally, by changing the types of bacteria that live in the gut, antibiotics can cause intestinal side effects, including diarrhea.

Taking antibiotics can alter the gut microbiome, which can lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, especially in children. Children taking probiotics may reduce their risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
However, since probiotics are usually bacteria, they can also be killed by antibiotics if taken together. So it's important to take antibiotics and probiotics a few hours apart. Probiotics should also be taken after a course of antibiotics to restore some of the healthy bacteria in the gut that may have been destroyed.

Fiber can be digested by the human body, but it can be digested by intestinal bacteria, helping to stimulate their growth.
Therefore, fiber can help restore healthy gut bacteria after a course of antibiotics.
Some foods rich in fiber include: Whole grains (porridge, whole grain bread, brown rice), nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, berries, broccoli, peas , banana, artichoke.
Studies have shown that foods containing fiber not only have the ability to stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut, but can also reduce the growth of certain harmful bacteria.
However, fiber can slow the rate of gastric emptying. In turn, this can slow down how quickly the drug is absorbed. Therefore, it is best to temporarily avoid high-fiber foods during antibiotic treatment and instead focus on eating fiber after stopping antibiotics.

Certain foods can also help restore the gut microbiome after antibiotic damage. Fermented foods are produced by bacteria and include yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kimchi, among others. They contain several species of healthy bacteria, such as Lactobacilli, which can help restore the gut microbiome to a healthy state after antibiotics.
Studies have shown that people who eat yogurt or fermented milk have higher levels of Lactobacilli in their intestines and lower levels of disease-causing bacteria, such as Enterobacteria and Bilophila wadsworthia. Kimchi and fermented soy milk have similar beneficial effects and can help culture healthy bacteria in the gut, such as Bifidobacteria. Therefore, eating fermented foods can help improve gut health after taking antibiotics.
Other studies have also found that fermented foods may be beneficial during antibiotic treatment. Some of these have shown that taking plain yogurt or a probiotic supplement can reduce diarrhea in people taking antibiotics.

Unlike probiotics, which are live bacteria, prebiotics are foods that feed the good bacteria in your gut. Many fiber-rich foods are prebiotics. Fiber is digested and fermented by healthy gut bacteria, allowing them to grow.
However, other foods are not high in fiber but act as prebiotics by helping the growth of healthy bacteria like Bifidobacteria. For example, red wine contains antioxidant polyphenols, which are not digested by human cells but are digested by gut bacteria. One study found that consuming red wine polyphenol extract for four weeks could significantly increase the amount of healthy Bifidobacteria in the gut and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Similarly, cocoa contains antioxidant polyphenols that have beneficial prebiotic effects on the gut microbiota. A few studies have shown that cocoa polyphenols also increase Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus in the gut and reduce some unhealthy bacteria, including Clostridia.
Therefore, eating prebiotic foods after taking antibiotics can help grow beneficial gut bacteria that have been damaged by antibiotics.

Some foods should be avoided when taking antibiotics to avoid reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics:
Grapefruit juice and many medications are broken down by an enzyme called cytochrome P450. Eating grapefruit while on antibiotics can prevent the body from breaking down the medication properly. Calcium supplements can also affect antibiotic absorption. Studies have shown that calcium supplements can reduce the absorption of many different antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and gatifloxacin. Therefore, you can simply avoid foods fortified with high doses of calcium while on antibiotics.

In order for the use of antibiotics not to affect the body's immune system and promote the good effect of antibiotics against infections, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the principles of antibiotic use.
That is, use antibiotics only when it is certain that a bacterial infection is present (most children with respiratory infections are caused by viruses that do not require antibiotics). Antibiotics must be used at the correct dose and for the full day. To do this well, it is necessary to have a doctor's appointment to examine you, not automatically buy medicine for yourself or your family to self-treat.
Patients do not change their own medication and do not interrupt or quit when they see that the disease has improved. With doctors, it is necessary to adhere to the principle of antibiotic prescribing, not arbitrarily prescribing. For drug sellers must consider the life of patients and the community is very important, so do not sell antibiotics without a doctor's prescription and do not automatically change drugs without the doctor's opinion. see the doctor.
In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the immune system with a reasonable diet, daily exercise, and children who need to be fully vaccinated according to the Expanded Immunization Program.
Vinmec International General Hospital offers customers a Package Immunization Program from children to adults with full benefits and attached services.
If you have a need for consultation and examination at the Hospitals of the National Health System, please book an appointment on the website for the best service.
Article referenced source: Healthline.com