{
  "id": 10971597,
  "title": "Slashing sugar intake before antibiotics may save your microbiome",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/slashing-sugar-intake-before-antibiotics-may-save-your-microbiome",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-30T15:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Scientist",
    "slug": "new-scientist",
    "url": "https://www.newscientist.com/article/2591436-slashing-sugar-intake-before-antibiotics-may-save-your-microbiome/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Research suggests that cutting back on sugary foods before starting antibiotics could help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. The gut microbiome, composed of various bacteria, plays a vital role in digestion and overall health. However, antibiotics can disrupt this delicate ecosystem, leading to digestive issues, fatigue, and skin problems. This disruption is especially concerning for cancer patients, as a diverse microbiome is associated with better survival rates.\n\nIn a study led by Jonathan Peled from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, researchers examined the gut microbiomes of 158 individuals undergoing chemotherapy for blood cancers. Participants took antibiotics during their hospital stay to prevent infections. The researchers monitored changes in the gut microbiome by analyzing stool samples, which were collected every 12 days from 12 days before stem-cell transplantation to 49 days after. They meticulously recorded over 40,000 food items, detailing the amount consumed, to link dietary choices with microbiome changes.\n\nThe study found that higher consumption of high-sugar foods during antibiotic treatment was linked to a decrease in microbiome diversity. For every 100-gram increase in high-sugar intake (equivalent to one large milkshake), the drop in total bacterial diversity was on average 24 percent greater. Furthermore, the combination of a sugary diet and antibiotics led to a surge in Enterococcus faecium bacteria, which can cause severe infections.\n\nThe sugar in the gut may exacerbate the impact of antibiotics by wiping out many gut bacteria, leaving a few \"last man standing\" strains that are not necessarily beneficial. This finding aligns with experiments in mice, where those given the antibiotic biapenem while on a high-sucrose diet experienced a significant increase in the Enterococcus population by days three and six. In contrast, mice on a high-sugar diet without antibiotics maintained their bacterial diversity. These results suggest that reducing sugar intake before antibiotic use could help preserve a healthier and more diverse gut microbiome.",
  "summary": "Antibiotics can reduce the diversity of microbes in your gut microbiome and lead to health problems, but a study in people with cancer has identified a potential solution",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}