Taking certain antibiotics — especially multiple times or for long courses — may put you at risk for colon cancer, a large new study suggests.

The researchers found that as people’s antibiotic use increased, their odds of being diagnosed with colon cancer inched up. Specifically, the risk was tied to antibiotics that kill anaerobic bacteria — which include common drugs like penicillins and cephalosporins such as Keflex.

The findings add to recent research hinting at a link between antibiotics and colon cancer.

The reasons for the connection, however, remain unclear — and it might not reflect a direct effect of antibiotics at all, according to one colon cancer expert.

“We don’t know why people in this study received antibiotic prescriptions,” said Dr. Emmanouil Pappou, a colon cancer surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in New York City.

In particular, he noted, the risk was greatest among people who’d used antibiotics for longer periods — 30 to 60 days, or longer. And those patients might have been quite sick, said Pappou, who was not involved in the study.

Click here to read the full article sourced from WebMD.com

Author:
Guido