A recent study, published Journal of the National Cancer Institute, revealed the impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiome.

Taking antibiotics has been proven to increase the risk of colon cancer in the next five to ten years.

“The results underline the fact that there are many reasons to be restrictive with antibiotics,” warned cancer researcher Sophia Harlid.

“While in many cases antibiotic therapy is necessary and saves lives, in the event of less serious ailments that can be expected to heal anyway, caution should be exercised.”

This is to help reduce antibiotic resistance and the risk of bowel cancer.

According to the study, men and women who took antibiotics for more than six months had a 17 percent increased risk of developing cancer in the ascending colon.

The danger was especially high for individuals who took the most antibiotics.

The study also found a “small, but statistically significant” increase in cancer risk after a single course of antibiotics.

Data was collected from 40,000 patients on the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry between 2010 and 2016.

These patients were compared to a matched control group of 200,000 cancer-free people recruited from the general Swedish population.

To better understand how antibiotics raise the risk, the researchers also looked at a non-antibiotic bactericidal med used to treat urinary infections that does not change the microbiome.

There was no difference in the frequency of colon cancer among individuals who used this medicine, implying that the influence of antibiotics on the microbiome raises the risk of cancer.

While the study only looked at antibiotics taken orally, there is agreement that intravenous antibiotics may also have an effect on the gut microbiota.

“There is absolutely no cause for alarm simply because you have taken antibiotics,” reassured Harlid.

“The increase in risk is moderate and the effect on the absolute risk to the individual is fairly small,” she continued.

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