Guest: Dr. Sophia Harlid Ph.D.
There is a clear link between taking antibiotics and an increased risk of developing colon cancer within the next five to ten years. This has been confirmed by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, after a study of 40,000 cancer cases. The impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiome is thought to lie behind the increased risk of cancer.
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Show Notes:
Antibiotics and Colon Cancer; A Clear Link
[4:32] Inspiration behind the study.
- The idea has been out there for a while now.
- Microbiomes of those with colorectal cancer are different from those that do not.
[8:36] sample size
- 40,000 individuals with colorectal cancer
- 200,000 individuals that were controls.
[9:23] Antibiotic use was correlated with higher rates of colorectal cancer.
[11:36] The role of sleep disruption.
[14:25] The use of a UTI prophylactic.
[18:45] The effects of probiotics.
[20:05] Glyphosate
[24:09] Surprising findings from this study.
- The association was confined to the right side of the colon.
[34:30] C-sections and the microbiome.
- Its hard to quantify the exact effect because of the confoundment of antibiotic use in children at some point in life before having their microbiome tested.
[40:23] Is there a good way to recover from antibiotic use?
- Regular screening is the best proactive measure at the moment.
- Carl suggests a Cologuard test first.
[42:17] Study takeaways.
- Risk of colorectal cancer is associated with antibiotic use, but it is not a guaranteed sentence. The risk increase is not extremely high.
[51:05] probiotics to counter antibiotic use?
- We don’t even know what a “perfect” microbiome looks like.
