Want to lose weight? Well here’s one thing you should avoid: Antibiotics.
According to a new study from Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France, a certain antibiotic used to treat Q fever, a type of illness similar to the flu, caused people to gain up to 30 pounds, whereas those who skipped the antibiotic gained no weight at all.
It’s a scary thought–and one that brings into question the safety of antibiotics.
“At a WHO reference center for Q fever, a member of our group regularly followed more than 200 Q fever endocarditis patients undergoing long-term doxycycline and OHCQ treatment over the last 20 years,” write researchers, whose study will be published in the June 2014 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. “Notably, involuntary weight gain has been reported in some patients, thereby motivating the objective of this study.”
What Researchers Found
Led by researcher Didier Raoult from Aix-Marseille University, researchers recruited 48 patients with Q fever who had been treated with two different types of antioxidants, called deoxycycline and hydroxychloroquine. Antibiotics help speed up recovery time from Q fever, which can last for weeks if left untreated. They then recruited those with Q fever who did not receive these antibiotic treatments to serve as the control.
Then, for the next year, researchers watched them as they continued to be treated–and tracked their body mass index, or BMI, to see if these treatments had any effect on their weight.
As it turned out, it did.
“We focused on the effect of long-term treatment with doxycycline over a 12-month period, as the patients examined in the present study were typically treated for at least 18 months,” say researchers. “The results of the present study demonstrate abnormal weight gain as a side effect of long-term treatment with doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine. Moreover, doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine treatment exhibits a reproducible effect on the community structure of the gastrointestinal microbiota in humans.”
As for why the weight gain occurred, researchers aren’t quite sure–though they do call for future measures to limit the caloric intake of those on antibiotic regimens. It could be possible that those on antibiotics are simply tempted to eat more calories, or that the antibiotics themselves may lower their calorie needs.
Regardless of what could be causing it though, there’s one thing that’s for certain: These antibiotics could make you fat.
What You Should Do?
Feeling sick? While antibiotics may quicken your downtime while sick, it isn’t the only way to get over an illness. Before taking any antibiotics, ask your doctor if there are any alternative options–it’s best not to take them unless it’s absolutely medically necessary.
If it’s unavoidable, however, make sure you’re watching your calories as well: Even overeating by a little could spurn weight gain that could take months to get rid of.
Readers: When was the last time you used antibiotics? Did you notice any change in appetite?
Sources:
Study: Antibiotics Used to Treat Flu-Like Illness Called Q Fever May Cause Significant Weight Gain – MedicalNewsToday.com
Study: Antibiotics Used in Q Fever Treatment Linked to Up to 30 Pounds of Weight Gain – ASM.org
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