At the first sign of a child’s fever, cold or cough, many well-meaning parents head straight to their doctor’s office for an antibiotic. In fact, most babies have already taken antibiotics by the time they reach their first birthday.

This regular prescribing of antibiotics to children is not only unnecessary, it could be contributing to a high level of antibiotic resistance in the general population, according to University of Oxford researchers.

The study found that the number of children carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria more than doubled after two weeks among those given an antibiotic. There was no increase in resistant bacteria among children who did not receive an antibiotic.

Although the number of children carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria returned to initial levels after 12 weeks, the researchers point out that this temporary increase is enough to “sustain a high level of antibiotic resistance in the population.”

What that means is that in cases when antibiotics may truly be necessary, there’s a good chance they will no longer be effective.

In recent years, doctors have cut their use of antibiotics, but they are still widely overused. And there are other factors to consider, also.

About 70 percent of antibiotics produced in the United States each year are fed to livestock. As a result, not only is it now possible to be exposed to antibiotics just from eating conventionally raised meats, but the antibiotics present in the animals’ manure, which is then used to fertilize crops, are now showing up in produce!

What’s Wrong With Antibiotics?

I’d like to point out that I am not opposed to antibiotics; they do have an important use under the right circumstances. However, I do believe that well over 95 percent of the time antibiotics are prescribed, they are unnecessary.

Aside from contributing to antibiotic resistance, antibiotics kill not only bad bacteria but also all of the good bacteria, or probiotics, in your system. This can lead to serious health risks in and of itself, but antibiotics are also linked to:

• Tripling the risk of asthma in babies
• Increasing breast cancer risk
• Increasing your risk of allergies

The bottom line is that, more often than not, simple infections -- from ear infections to even some urinary tract infections -- clear up without a need for antibiotics, particularly if you’re eating right, exercising, and leading an overall healthy lifestyle.

British Medical Journal July 26, 2007 (Free Full-Text Article)

Eurekalert July 26, 2007

RD