7 replies to this topic

[123199]

So... I'm about to start weaning off antibiotics and start incorporating fermented foods that are rich in probiotics into my diet.

[I've been on antibiotics for 7-8 months, "doxycycline tetracycline" and/or "doxycycline hyclate"]
(Not sure)

[assuming I have at least 1-3 servings of them a day]
How long will it take for fermented foods to repopulate my gut flora/good bacteria?

[chunkylard]

Depends how much damage the antibiotics did.

[spectacled_owl]

What's your health and diet like right now? Coconut oil is an excellent antimicrobial which is useful if you've got too much bad bacteria now populating your gut. You gotta give the good guys a chance. Also, check out these articles on antibiotics and gut flora from Mark Sisson, they can both be found on this page. We pick up so much bacteria when we're young that it's hard to say if we can ever get it back after antibiotic abuse. Some people even do fecal transplants which is exactly what it sounds like. I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but real, whole, raw fermented foods are a great start.

If you can get some raw goats' milk and make kefir or raw cows' milk, if not then pasteurized organic goats' milk then finally pasteurized organic cows'. Kimchi, sauerkraut, as long as it's real lacto-fermented stuff (most of the grocery store stuff is just made with vinegar and preservatives). Kombucha tea is good. Plus eat plenty of fat, protein and veggies and avoid sugar and too much starch unless it's from nutrient dense sources like sweet potatoes and fruits. Then work some raw foods like oysters, meats (seared steak is wonderful if you've got a good source for meat), sashimi and don't be afraid of leaving a little dirt on your veggies once in a while.

Edited by spectacled_owl, 30 December 2011 - 11:44 AM.

[123199]

spectacles_owl - I'm currently in pretty good health with the exception of the antibiotic factor. I eat veggies, fruits, seeds, and legumes 95% of the time, and whole grain wheat every once and a while. I only drink water, and I've eliminated all sugars/sweeteners that were previously in my diet.
BUT STILL: any idea how long repopulation would take [just enough to become stable]?

chunkylard - don't mean to sound rude or anything, but your point seems rather obvious. I tried to give a time frame [7-8 months] for the antibiotics, and was hoping that'd lead you to draw at least some kind of resultant time frame for me. Thanks for actually offering a response though, that in and of itself in greatly appreciated

[alternativista]

We can't tell you. But I'd do a variety of things including assorted fermented foods, probiotics with many different flora strain, etc. See this thread for some info on various strains and what they do for you. http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/159595-kefir-ginger-root-for-stomachs-stripped-from-antibiotics/

[123199]

thanks, great stuff! i guess my overall question really isn't based around and exact time span, but instead:

Is this a very slow process? does it take like 5-7 months?

Or is it relatively quick: anywhere from a few weeks to like 2 months? Or ever sooner for that matter?

[spectacled_owl]

It's not a simple answer. You can probably tell by how you feel and that's it. Like, how do you feel after a meal, how's your poop, etc.

[chunkylard]

spectacles_owl - I'm currently in pretty good health with the exception of the antibiotic factor. I eat veggies, fruits, seeds, and legumes 95% of the time, and whole grain wheat every once and a while. I only drink water, and I've eliminated all sugars/sweeteners that were previously in my diet.
BUT STILL: any idea how long repopulation would take [just enough to become stable]?

chunkylard - don't mean to sound rude or anything, but your point seems rather obvious. I tried to give a time frame [7-8 months] for the antibiotics, and was hoping that'd lead you to draw at least some kind of resultant time frame for me. Thanks for actually offering a response though, that in and of itself in greatly appreciated

Your question doesn't have an answer, that's why I provided the answer I did.

Antibiotics are subject to first pass metabolism. That means that, to some degree, it's destroyed by time it circulates through body. There is no answer to your question. 7-8 months on antibiotics does not necessarily equate to 7-8 months on probiotics. There's also many opportunists out there that sell lackluster probiotics. Depending on which brand of probiotic you take, you may need to take it for a month or 14-16 months. Or you may need to take them for the rest of your life to achieve the same state of gut flora you had pre-antibiotics. Just take a high quality probiotic regularly and you'll eventually notice when its working.