Antibiotics May Up Risk of Diabetes in Kids

                Parents, take note! Giving antibiotics to children may change the composition of gut microbes and dramatically increase their risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. The research focused on the micro-biome, the bacterial species in our guts that co-evolved with humans to play roles in digestion, metabolism and immunity. As children’s exposure to microbe-killing antibiotics has increased in recent decades, the incidence of autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes has more than doubled. The study found that short pulses of antibiotics cause mice that are susceptible to Type 1 diabetes to develop the diseases to develop the decease more quickly and more often. Researchers study begins to clarify the mechanisms by which antibiotic driven changes in gut micro-biomes may increase risk for Type 1 diabetes. This is the first study of its kind suggesting that antibiotic use can alter the micro-biota and have lasting effects on immunological and metabolic development, resulting in autoimmunity.