Antibiotics and teen weight gain found to be linked
In the 1980 sci-fi thriller “Altered States,” Harvard Medical School professor Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) claims he entered an alternate physical and mental state by using drugs and an isolation chamber. Just recently, researchers at Johns Hopkins University claimed that people altered the physical state of their intestinal biome, where trillions of bacteria live, by taking too many antibiotics during childhood. Seems that when this antibiotic altered state happens, one result is excess weight gain. Here’s how that works.
If your child has a bacterial infection (say, an ear infection) and takes an antibiotic to appropriately kill harmful, spreading microbes, there’s collateral damage to good gut bacteria. And their loss can affect the way a person’s whole biome breaks down food – a basic function of gut bacteria – and that can lead to weight gain. Young kids are the most susceptible.
After reviewing health data on more than 163,000 children 3-18 years old, the researchers found that kids’ body mass index increased throughout teen years as their use of antibiotics increased. To be specific, the more antibiotics taken during childhood, the greater the teenage weight gain.
So, what should parents of a sick child do? First, don’t insist that your doctor provide antibiotics when they’re not appropriate – say, for a viral infection or a bacterial infection that will resolve on its own. And if the doctor does prescribe antibiotics, make sure they’re completely necessary. Then ask about taking an appropriate probiotic during and after that antibiotic use. It will help correct your child’s altered state and restore biome balance.
Keep happiness from eroding
Songs like the 1960s favorite from the Turtles, “Happy Together,” and the 2013 chart-buster from Pharrell Williams, “Happy,” raise our spirits and reaffirm how important happiness is. And scientists agree: Research shows gleeful joy and quiet pleasure dispel stress, bolster cardio health and help you make healthier lifestyle choices.
But ironically, pursuing happiness doesn’t make you happier. It’s better to aim for experiences or accomplishments that develop inner resources you need for living well. That’s how happiness happens.
Unfortunately, a recent study says happiness is on the decline for folks over 30. Researchers analyzed data gathered from 1972-2014 on 1.3 million Americans ages 13-96. They found that the old saying that you get happier as you get older stopped being true around 2010.
Why? Perhaps the fast and fleeting relationships of the digital age (Snapchat!) seem exciting to younger folks but deprive mature people of the community and stability they desire. Or maybe expectations in this era of “Why aren’t YOU a dot.com millionaire by now?” are so high that they can’t be met, which sinks in after age 30.
Whatever the cause, it’s time to take steps to get happier. Walking 10,000 steps a day for five days a week boosts self-confidence, dispels stress and fuels physical and emotional strength. So can eliminating the Five Food Felons, as can doing work you enjoy and spending time with friends and family. So write a list of activities, experiences, social or work interactions that will provide you with a sense of satisfaction. There’s your bouquet list. Now, let happiness bloom.
HPV vaccine stands tall
The HPV vaccine is standing tall after careful review by the European Medicines Agency.
Reports have been circulating about a possible connection between the HPV vaccine and complex regional pain syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. But after careful review by the EMA, the experts concluded there’s no cause-and-effect link between those afflictions and the vaccine.
About 150 girls in a million ages 10-18 get CRPS and 150 get POTS annually. Now, ask yourself, if some of those girls are diagnosed right after seeing a scary movie, did the movie cause their syndrome?
More than 80 million girls and women worldwide have received the HPV vaccine, and the number of cases of genital warts and cancer of the cervix, throat and anus that it prevents far outweighs any risk. So let’s make protection of young people – boys and girls – from HPV a priority. The vaccine stands tall as one of the most legendary accomplishments of modern medicine. Ask your doc if your children should receive it.
Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer and chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Antibiotics and teen weight gain found to be linked."