Early Use of Antibiotics Alters Immunity Later On

Heather Callaghan

As the gut microbiome becomes the newest hot topic in medical science, researchers are welcoming natural and nutritional approaches to optimal health and preventing disease.

A lot of studies take a doom-and-gloom tone about the devastating effects on the world from generations of immersion in antibiotics - in animals, in food and in early childhood. Some have even traced the damage to the immune system from before conception. Many are warning that there is no hope except through dramatic worldwide intervention (which includes new vaccines, newer stronger drugs).

But studies like this one from New University of British Columbia not only dissect immune-damage wrought by early use of antibiotics, but also offer some hope in correcting the problem, especially in young children.