Researchers have found that gut bacteria can interfere with the effectiveness of over 400 commonly used medications that target GPCRs, cellular receptors involved in treating conditions like depression,...

A large study reveals that using methylphenidate to treat childhood behavioral conditions is associated with minor changes in adult body mass and height.

A study led by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics analyzed data from over 2,500 participants in the Estonian Biobank to explore how medications affect the gut microbiome long after they are discontinued. Researchers found that common drugs such as antibiotics, antidepressants, beta-blockers, acid-reducing agents, and benzodiazepines can cause lasting changes to the gut microbiome, with some effects detectable years post-treatment. These findings suggest that a person's prescription history may significantly influence their current gut bacterial composition. The study highlights that medications from the same drug class do not always impact the microbiome uniformly, emphasizing the need for individual drug analysis rather than grouping by class. Follow-up samples revealed predictable shifts in gut microbes when participants started or stopped certain medications, indicating a direct link between drug use and microbial changes. This research underscores the importance of considering medication history in microbiome studies to distinguish between disease-related changes and those caused by past treatments. The implications extend to understanding how long-term drug use might influence health outcomes related to digestion, immunity, and metabolism.

Medications used many years earlier can still influence the human gut microbiome, according to a large-scale study conducted by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics. Researchers examined stool...