Sugar Consumption During Antibiotic Treatment May Harm Cancer Patients, Study Suggests
New research indicates that a high-sugar diet alongside antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome, potentially leading to severe complications for individuals undergoing cancer treatment.
Consuming sugar while taking certain antibiotics could lead to life-threatening complications for cancer patients, according to new research from City of Hope. The study suggests that reducing sugar intake during antibiotic treatment may help protect the body's microbiome, a collection of beneficial bacteria crucial for immune function.
Antibiotics, while essential for fighting infections, are known to disrupt the delicate balance of gut bacteria. This disruption can lead to various side effects and may impact a patient's response to treatment. The research, published in a study by City of Hope researchers in California, explored the link between dietary sugar and microbiome diversity in cancer patients.
"Antibiotics disrupt the diversity of our gut bacteria, or microbiomes, which play an essential role in supporting our immune systems and overall health," said co-senior author Dr. Marcel van den Brink, president of City of Hope Los Angeles and City of Hope chief physician executive. "Our research supports emerging evidence that avoiding sugary foods during antibiotic treatment may protect the microbiome. Preserving microbiome diversity has previously been linked with improved clinical outcomes for patients with cancer."
The study tracked 9,400 meals consumed by 173 patients with blood cancer undergoing intensive treatment, many of whom received broad-spectrum antibiotics. Researchers analyzed over 1,000 stool samples to assess microbiome diversity. Unlike previous dietary studies that relied on memory, this research utilized meticulous, real-time dietary records.
"No matter how we analyzed the data, the same strong signal kept appearing," van den Brink stated. "The patients who consumed more sweets while taking antibiotics were more likely to experience a loss of microbiome diversity as aggressive microbes crowded out other strains of bacteria."
Researchers observed a 24 percent decline in bacterial diversity for every 100-gram increase in sweets. This dietary pattern, combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics, appeared to exacerbate microbiome disruption. A particularly concerning organism that showed increased growth was Enterococcus, which can increase the risk of bloodstream infections and severe complications in transplant patients.
To further investigate, the team conducted an experiment with mice. Mice fed a high-sucrose diet while on broad-spectrum antibiotics showed a rapid overgrowth of enterococcus in their guts. This animal study provides a strong rationale for future clinical trials to evaluate sugar intake during antibiotic usage in humans.
Van den Brink emphasized that diet is a significant factor in recovery and that hospitals can support patient recovery through dietary recommendations. "The microbiome is emerging as an important factor in cancer care," he added. "The better we understand what supports and disrupts it, the more opportunities we have to reduce treatment side effects while improving how patients respond to and recover from therapy."