How A Product Made With Activated Charcoal Can Protect Gut Health From Antibiotics
Written by Miriam Bermejo
Edited by Jasmine Jeon
February 9th, 2023
Edited by Jasmine Jeon
February 9th, 2023
Research
The creation of antibiotics is one of the most crucial medical advancements in history. Antibiotics are medicine used to target bacterial infections. As a result, bacteria-causing diseases became easily treatable and mortality rates decreased, but this ability came with unintended consequences. When antibiotics are administered orally, non-absorbed antibiotic residue makes its way to the intestine and colon which can disrupt the health of the microbiome present. Short-term impacts due to the disruption include diarrhea, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and a connection to allergy and obesity in the long term. The state of your gut microbiome plays multiple important roles in your overall health and preserving the beneficial state of the microbiome during the use of antibiotics is a question researchers are trying to answer.
In one study, researchers tested how efficient DAV132, made of a strong absorbent and activated charcoal, absorbs Moxifloxacin (MXF) residue, an antibiotic, found in the small intestine without disrupting the arrangement of the microbiome. Researchers randomly split volunteers into four groups over the course of 8 days. Group A was given only the full course of MXF for the first five days; Group B was given the full course of MXF with DAV132 for the first five days and then only given DAV132 for the next three days; Group C was only given DAV132 for all eight days, and Group D was not given anything for eight days to serve as a control group. By analyzing blood and poop samples that were collected before, during, and after the treatments, researchers found that Group B who was treated with a full course of MXF and given DAV132 for five days still possessed a healthy gut microbiome compared to the other groups. These individuals also did not show any negative side effects from using DAV132.
These findings suggest that the use of DAV132 can prevent unhealthy gut health that antibiotics can unintentionally lead to. With further research to test DAV132 in a clinical setting, its success can help curb the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and overall improve gut health.