Tricky balancing act: Antibiotics versus the gut microbiota

Antibiotics are valuable, potentially life-saving tools that have significantly reduced human morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, antibiotics may also have unintended consequences from their off-target effects that may increase the risk of many long-term conditions. Recent epidemiologic studies have detected a possible link between antibiotic use in childhood and weight gain -- with disruption to the normal gut microbiota considered the most likely cause.

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