December 10, 2025

Common Medications Can Disrupt Your Gut Health for Years

7 minutes

Researchers from the University of Tartu found that nearly 90% of 186 common medications affected gut composition, and almost half left long-lasting microbial changes that persisted years after use ended
Antibiotics caused the strongest and most persistent gut disruption, with measurable microbial shifts still evident six months after use and cumulative effects worsening with each additional treatment course
Non-antibiotic drugs like benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, glucocorticoids, and proton pump inhibitors also altered microbial composition
Long-term medication use explained more variation in gut microbiome composition than current prescriptions. This shows that the gut retains a biological "memory" of past pharmaceutical exposures
Restoring gut health starts by reducing unnecessary medications, avoiding vegetable oils, and eating whole foods that help beneficial bacteria recover and rebuild balance over time

...more

By Dr. Mercola

4.6

14871,487 ratings

December 10, 2025

7 minutes

Researchers from the University of Tartu found that nearly 90% of 186 common medications affected gut composition, and almost half left long-lasting microbial changes that persisted years after use ended
Antibiotics caused the strongest and most persistent gut disruption, with measurable microbial shifts still evident six months after use and cumulative effects worsening with each additional treatment course
Non-antibiotic drugs like benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, glucocorticoids, and proton pump inhibitors also altered microbial composition
Long-term medication use explained more variation in gut microbiome composition than current prescriptions. This shows that the gut retains a biological "memory" of past pharmaceutical exposures
Restoring gut health starts by reducing unnecessary medications, avoiding vegetable oils, and eating whole foods that help beneficial bacteria recover and rebuild balance over time

...more