Thursday, March 18, 2010

Do Antibiotics Make Us Fat?

A compelling post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/do-antibiotics-make-peopl_b_491808.html

I had no idea that ranchers gave antibiotics to cattle to make them gain weight quicker.

However, while the author of this piece focused on medical antibiotics, if excess antibiotics are a reason for excessive weight gain in humans, I'd focus more on the antibiotics given to animals as a cause for the problem.

It's probably true that antibiotics are somewhat over-prescribed. When I was a teenager, a dermatologist put me on antibiotics for two years to clear up acne. It did clear up my skin, but it has caused a host of other health issues. I'm now resistant to antibiotics so when I do get sick and need antibiotics now I need extraordinary doses. I've had pneumonia twice and being resistant to antibiotics was a major stumbling block in both recoveries.

My teen-age antibiotic use also led to years of constant yeast infections, including two bouts with systemic yeast infections. I did manage to clear up that problem once I started my cleansing regimes. Yeast infections no longer plague me like they once did, but they were pretty constant for over thirty years.

I also have abnormally yellow teeth which my dentist told me is from my previous anti-biotic use.

So, needless to say, I'm always looking for meat which is raised without antibiotics. Given my previous history, I think avoiding it now is imperative. If it could lead to excessive weight gain later on, avoiding it for my children's sake is even more of a reason to avoid it.

1 comment:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear how something that was prescribed to help you actually hurt you.

    You raised an inquiry about cattle and antibiotics.

    ReplyDelete