Food Poisoning Bulletin has been reporting about the sub
clinical use of antibiotics in farm animals for the past year.
Many farmers routinely feed chickens, pigs, and cows antibiotics
in their feed to prevent disease and to promote growth. The link
between antibiotic dose and disease prevention may be obvious.
But how do antibiotics promote growth? Mother Jones has a report
connecting antibiotic use and weight gain. Regular low doses of
antibiotics make animals gain weight because they change
bacteria that live in the gut. The colonies of bacteria are
called “microbiomes” and they can affect everything from
allergies to the immune system to weight gain. A study published
in Nature last year found that low doses of antibiotics changed
the bacteria in the intestines of mice. Those mice gained more
weight than mice not given the drugs. The different bacteria
were able to break down carbohydrates more readily so the body
absorbed them and converted them to fat. A paper published in
the International Journal of O