Common medications may change your gut for years
A study from the University of Tartu indicates that common medications, including antidepressants and beta-blockers, can alter the human gut microbiome for years after use. These findings suggest that medical history is a crucial factor in understanding individual health and disease susceptibility.
Why it matters
It challenges the current medical practice of only considering a patient's current medication list when assessing gut health and disease risk.
Medications can influence the community of microbes living in the human gut long after a person stops taking them, according to a large study led by researchers at the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics.
The findings suggest that a person's prescription history may help explain differences in the gut microbiome years later. The gut microbiome includes the vast community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract and can influence digestion, metabolism, immune function, and other aspects of health.
Researchers analyzed stool samples and prescription records from more than 2,500 participants in the Estonian Biobank who were part of the Estonian Microbiome cohort. They found that most of the medications examined were associated with differences in the gut microbiome.
For a substantial number of drugs, those differences could still be detected years after people had stopped taking the medication.
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