ANTIBIOTICS LINKS TO OBESITY FROM FARMERS FATTENING UP LIVESTOCK

Article from the Daily Mail Below and something that annoys me, the overuse of Antibiotics. At least doctors in the UK have tightened up their prescribing of antibiotics. Antibiotics are marvellous drugs and have saved countless lives, trouble is they are over used and in the story below given to animals to fatten them up, this is so wrong. Think about it, if you eat the meat from animals given antibiotics it stands to reason you will be ingesting the very same, overuse of antibiotics leads to sensitivity. I'm not saying animals shouldn't receive antibiotics is they are ill, if they are genuinely ill with a bacterial illness they of course they should be treated but not consumed until that antibiotic has left their system. I am not advocating  becoming a vegetarian either, but I do think we should chose our supplier carefully and eat organically raised animals. I am glad to see that the EU has banned this practice. 

Many pharmacies worldwide (NOT the UK) sell antibiotics to the public I believe this is so wrong and should only be prescribed by a doctor as too many people ingest these when more often than not they have a viral illness, in which case antibiotics will have no effect as they only have an effect on bacteria. Many others do not finish their course of treatment too, this then merely weakens the bacteria instead of eradicating it and gives the bacteria a chance to overcome the antibiotic and develop new strains that are unaffected by bacteria which has led to the massive problems we have today with MRSA. 

When I was a young nurse and had to give a patient an antibiotic injection we had to 'gown up' wear masks and gloves when drawing up the antibiotic into the syringe to prevent sensitivity as minute droplets could enter the atmosphere when expelling air from the hypodermic syringe. We treated antibiotics with respect I don't believe this practice is still carried out today.

I do feel we should condemn this practice of giving antibiotics routinely to animals simply to plump up livestock and treat antibiotics with respect or there may come a time (and it's already happening) when we no longer have effective antibiotics at all. It should worry us all for do we want to go back to the time when a simple prick from a rose thorn could lead to septicaemia?

After reading the story below you might wish to consider this

http://www.quorn.co.uk/why-quorn/

'Farmers behind fat epidemic': Study finds links between obesity and antibiotics used to plump up livestock

• Farmers have used non-therapeutic doses to increase weight of cows and pigs
• Exposure to medicine may impair children's metabolic development

Farmers may have fuelled the obesity epidemic by fattening up livestock using antibiotics, a study has discovered.
Researchers found evidence that low exposure to the drugs upsets the delicate balance of gut bacteria which in turn alters metabolism.
The findings indicate a possible link between rising rates of obesity and modern farming methods.

EU farmers are banned from using antibiotics to fatten up their cows as a study shows that the drugs are linked with obesity levels

Since the 1950s, farmers have used low non-therapeutic doses of antibiotics to increase the body weight of cows, sheep, pigs and chickens.
The practice has sparked fears of spreading antibiotic resistance as the drugs get into the food chain, leading to a tightening of the rules.
Using antibiotics to fatten up farm animals is now banned in the EU but still allowed in the US and other countries.

The new research suggests antibiotic use on farms may pose other risks besides breeding resistant super bugs.

Exposure to the medicines may seriously impair the metabolic development of children

Exposure to the medicines may seriously impair the metabolic development of children, setting them up for a lifetime struggle with their weight.
As well as being exposed to antibiotics indirectly through the food chain, children are commonly given the drugs to treat minor ailments.
In the US, the average child now receives one antibiotic course per year.
'The rise of obesity around the world is coincident with widespread antibiotic use, and our studies provide an experimental linkage,' said lead researcher Professor Martin Blaser, from New York University School of Medicine in the US.
'It is possible that early exposure to antibiotics primes children for obesity later in life.'
The scientists administered common antibiotics such as penicillin and vancomycin to weaning mice at similar doses as those used in agriculture.
The treatment altered the composition of gut bacteria in the mice which in turn led to metabolic changes, such as increased production of fatty acids. After about six weeks the mice had gained about 10 per cent to 15 per cent more fat mass than untreated mice.
'By using antibiotics, we found we can actually manipulate the population of bacteria and alter how they metabolise certain nutrients,' said co-author Dr Ilseung Cho, also from New York University.
'Ultimately, we were able to affect body composition and development in young mice by changing their gut microbiome through this exposure.'
The findings are published today in the journal Nature.
Although it was known that antibiotics could fatten up animals, previously the mechanism involved was unclear.
Commenting on the results, British expert Professor Brendan Wren, form the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'The role of the composition of our gut microflora is increasingly recognised as being important and has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic disorders, immunity and obesity.
'It has been considered as the forgotten super organ in humans, and it is only now through advances in genome sequencing that we can assess the composition of the complex population of microbes in the gut.
'Indiscriminate use of antibiotics for livestock (often used to fatten animals), not only promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance, but can get in our food chain and affect the homeostasis of our gut microflora.'
Dr Cormac Gahan, from University College Cork in the Irish Republic, said: 'These studies support an emerging body of evidence linking gut bacteria with the development of obesity.
'Other research has identified specific subgroups of gut bacteria that play a role in energy extraction from the diet and influence the production of hormones in the host.
'Disrupting this finely balanced ecosystem clearly has consequences for host metabolism and weight gain.'

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