Does Antibiotic Make You Gain Weight?

Understanding Antibiotics and Their Mechanisms 

Many bacteria help us use the food we consume well, while some harm us, especially those we invite from outside the environment. Antibiotics are important to stop these harmful bacteria from multiplying and killing them so that we get rid of the illness. In this process, the good bacteria can also be affected, either temporarily or permanently. 

Few studies have shown that the usage of antibiotics by the mother can affect the baby. Also, the usage of antibiotics causes weight gain if it is frequent during childhood. 

Antibiotics are usually classified into two: 

1. BACTERICIDAL- They kill the bacteria. Usually, they are powerful broad-spectrum antibiotics. 
2. BACTERIOSTATIC - They stop the bacteria from multiplying. 

While on their mission to destroy bacteria, bactericidal and bacteriostatic antibiotics do not differentiate between healthy gut bacteria and bad ones. 

Usually, both normal and good gut bacteria are affected, which leads to weight gain due to antibiotics.

What You Must Know Before Using Can Antibiotics?

Antibiotics are a great discovery in the field of medicine. But, they are not always great for your body! Know when to and when not to use those antibiotics.

• Some antibiotics treat aerobic bacteria (bacteria that need oxygen to survive), while few treat non-aerobic bacteria (bacteria that do not need oxygen to survive). 
• Antibiotics are not effective against other microbial infections. Overuse of antibiotics in case of viral or other non-bacterial infections can lead to weight gain due to antibiotics. 
• Antibiotics are also used to prevent infections, which are medically called prophylactic antibiotics. 

Your healthcare expert may recommend it before surgery or any procedure to avoid complications, only then antibiotics are highly essential.

Misuse of Antibiotics Cause Antibiotics Resistance

Due to prolonged usage, bacteria may grow immune to the antibiotic engineered to kill them. This is called ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE. Experts say erratic usage and misuse of antibiotics are important reasons for this to happen. In such a scenario, the good gut bacteria are at stake. 

Recent research shows that antibiotic resistance poses a considerable challenge in treating several bacterial infections. Incorrect and inappropriate use of antibiotics without proper medical guidance can make bacteria unresponsive to antibiotics. 

In such cases, antibiotics badly affect fat metabolism, which may lead to weight gain. How quickly the weight gain goes away depends on the antibiotics' usage. 

Will Ayurveda Help with the Side Effects of Antibiotics? 

The answer is yes! Pharmaceutical studies prove that ayurvedic medications do not affect good gut bacteria. Ayurvedic diet and supplements focus more on the environment where harmful bacteria survive rather than killing them directly, ideally flushing the harmful bacteria out of your body naturally. 

In ayurveda, the digestive fire that helps us extract nutrients from food and eventually convert them into body tissues is called Dhatu agni (cellular digestive fire). The Ayurvedic diet empowers this digestive fire, making it difficult for bad bacteria to survive while protecting the normal good gut bacteria. 

Antibiotics and Weight Gain - The Connection 

As discussed earlier, antibiotics can have the same lethal effect on the good bacteria lining the intestine. So how does this good bacteria colony help you manage your weight and their disrupted balance cause weight gain?  

Step 1: The good bacteria in the gut, especially the E. coli colony, help store fat, ward away unwanted toxins and properly utilise nutrients. 

Step 2: When these digestive partners are attacked, fat metabolism is primarily affected. In addition, improper intercellular fluid retention can also occur in the gut, leading to bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhoea, and more. 

Step 3: Due to the severance of the intestinal bacteria, signs of diabetes and insulin resistance are also observed. 

Weight gain caused by antibiotics may primarily be due to fluid retention. How quickly weight gain goes away after stopping antibiotics depends entirely on the damage to the intestine. 

“Usually, weight gain is temporary and easy to deal with. However, if the damage to the intestine is extensive, the weight gain may last longer. ” - Dr Naveen Chandran, CMO, Nirva

If you have any previous health conditions like hypertension, diabetes, thyroid imbalance, etc, the weight gain may persist longer. In these conditions, gut immunity is weakened, further worsened by the antibiotics. 

Factors Influencing Weight Gain on Antibiotics

Not following a proper diet and lifestyle, especially while on antibiotics, is the primary reason for weight gain. There are several other factors influencing weight gain due to antibiotics. 

• Other Medications—If you are taking other medications alongside antibiotics, you must consider getting them approved by your doctor. Drug interactions can also cause further fat and fluid retention and weight gain due to antibiotics. 
• Erratic Usage of Antibiotics - Fever is not linked only to bacteria. Due to this misconception, people end up gulping antibiotics randomly, leading to weight gain on antibiotics.
• Individual Metabolic Type—If your basic metabolism type is an endomorph (having a heavy body build or a tendency to gain weight), which interestingly exists in 70% of all humans, your tendency to gain weight may be high. In such cases, antibiotic usage can cause weight gain rapidly. 
• Other Health Conditions - if you are already under treatment for any other chronic illness like kidney dysfunction, diabetes, etc, you may want to seriously consider highly monitored usage of antibiotics. 

Temporary Weight Gain With Antibiotics 

How quickly does the weight gain go away after stopping antibiotics? One might be very eager to know, after all, how long it takes! 

Well, under normal circumstances, weight gain due to antibiotics is short-lived. Your body has the natural ability to bounce back, and the gut bacteria can revive itself, too, but only if you provide a supportive diet and lifestyle. 

If you have developed antibiotic resistance, the harmful bacteria can multiply happily in the gut, leading to disastrous results. The antibiotics are designed to destroy the mitochondria (the cell's powerhouse), so the delicate balance in the intestinal ecosystem may be jeopardised. 

The weight gain due to extensive fluid retention and bloating usually recedes after stopping the antibiotic dosage within a few weeks. The key is to stay hydrated and consume a vitamin-rich diet to ensure gut detox. 

Regular physical exercise with a good blend of yoga and meditation can help your gut bounce back to health. 

Handling Weight Gain Due to Antibiotics With Ayurveda

Ayurveda lends its helping hand to caress your gut and rejuvenate it back. Good gut health is critical to remaining vibrant, irrespective of age. Check out some exciting herbs that can save your good bacteria and prevent weight gain due to antibiotics:

Ginseng (Ashwagandha) 

Apart from being a good vasodilator (which means it can improve blood circulation by dilating the blood vessels), it can help your body handle stress effectively. It reduces inflammation and flushes out toxins from the intestine. 

Basil (Tulsi) 

This herb can eliminate harmful bacteria, improve gut health and strengthen cellular digestion. 

Triphala 

Along with the above, these yoga poses can also add magic to the effects of ayurveda: 

Vajrasana- The Diamond Pose 

Many clinical studies have supported the benefits of diamond pose on gut health. This is your only yoga pose after eating a full tummy. It regulates the nerve pathways to the gut and supports digestion. 

Pawanamuktasana - The Gas-release Pose 

It is very beneficial for rapidly improving blood circulation to the intestine and releasing unwanted gas from the intestine. This physical pose has also been proven to lessen constipation. 

Malasana - The Garland Pose 

This strengthens the abdominal muscles and aids digestion. It also helps maintain the environment so that the gut bacteria can thrive. 

To know which of the above is good for you, it is important to know your specific body type, which element in your body is predominant, and what works best for you. You can start by taking a complete prakriti (body constitution) analysis with us. 

To conclude 

The use of antibiotics is inevitable to handle the ill effects of bacteria that are ever-increasing in this modern world. Hence, it is important to use them properly, be wary of the side effects, and seek professional help for the same. 

Following a well-assessed diet and lifestyle to complement your antibiotic consumption can help prevent unwanted weight gain and its recurrence. Get your personalised health advice today.