Research
Mixed
Broad-spectrum antibiotic use in developed countries contributes to reduced microbiome diversity compared to hunter-gatherer societies, which is associated with increased susceptibility to infection and metabolic disorders.
Be mindful of antibiotic use. While they are essential for serious bacterial infections, unnecessary use contributes to a less diverse gut microbiome, which is linked to higher risks of metabolic and immune disorders. Prioritize dietary diversity to support microbiome health.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
General trends observed in follow-up studies include a decrease in microbiome diversity in developed countries compared with the diversity found in hunter-gatherers or societies with restricted access to Western medicine [63, 64]. This difference is often attributed to the hygiene hypothesis, which in addition to improved cleanliness points to the overuse of antibiotics during infections as causal to a reduced microbiome diversity in developed countries.
Why this rating
Review paper citing multiple comparative studies between populations.
Source
The effects of antibiotics on the microbiome throughout development and alternative approaches for therapeutic modulation
Amy Langdon et al. · Genome Medicine · 2016
DOI 10.1186/s13073-016-0294-z
narrative_reviewCited 902×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Antibiotic exposure during early development (prenatal, perinatal, or early childhood) disrupts microbiome succession, leading to long-term health consequences including increased susceptibility to infection, immunological disorders (asthma, type 1 diabetes), and metabolic shifts toward obesity or malnutrition.Good
- Antibiotic treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) can improve nutritional recovery and reduce mortality, likely by altering the microbiome to improve nutrient extraction, although the mechanism is not fully understood.Moderate
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