Antibiotics might make us more susceptible to disease later in life

A new study is suggesting that taking antibiotics early in life might make us more susceptible to certain diseases when we're older.

According to research out of the University of British Columbia, antibiotics often don't discriminate between good and bad bacteria.

The researchers tested two antibiotics on newborn mice: vancomycin and streptomycin. They found that streptomycin increased the risk of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an allergic disease, later in life. Vanomycin had no effect.

Their findings were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Lead researcher and medical genetics professor Kelly McNagny tells CTVNews.ca that it's possible that some antibiotics won't just increase the odds of getting a disease later in life, but can actually make the reactions to that disease more severe.

But "if we can identify what bacteria are protective we might be able to find the ones to give to kids who don't have them," he tells CTVNews.ca.

McNagny emphasizes that infants should still be treated with antibiotics when necessary, but hopes his team's research is just a step in determining which bacteria “are absolutely necessary to develop a healthy immune system later in life.”

One possible solution in the future: probiotics.

"I think antibiotics are life-saving drugs, but I think over-prescribing them is not a good thing," he tells CTVNews. "If you are going to have a course of antibiotics maybe there is a course of probiotics that we can give you."

“Probiotics could be the next big trend in parenting because once you know which bacteria prevent disease, you can make sure that children get inoculated with those bacteria,” he says in a statement.

McNagny isn't recommending that parents start feeding their kids probiotics, as there have yet to be any good studies completed in that area.

While we wait for researchers to further investigate the roles of bacteria in our immune systems, here are some proven ways to boost immunity:

1. Get enough zzzzzs.

You know the drill: aim for 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye a night.

According to WebMD:

"When students at the University of Chicago were limited to only 4 hours of sleep a night for 6 nights and then given a flu vaccine, their immune systems made only half the normal number of antibodies."

Not getting enough sleep can also lead to higher levels of stress hormones and possibly lead to more inflammation in your body.

2. Stay active — but don't overdo it.

Want to stay healthy? Exercise regularly. Just remember: Everything in moderation.

Scientists aren't exactly sure why, but it appears that "intense exercise temporarily depresses the immune system," the New York Times reported in 2009, but moderate exercise has the opposite effect.

According to Psychology Today:

"Exercise is a form of stress that asks the body to adapt. That adaptation costs real energy and physical resources. These resources have to be borrowed from somewhere-say, the immune system. When the body recovers, it's stronger. But when you don't get enough rest and recovery, or when you are immediately exposed to another stressor (say, a flu virus or a fight with your spouse), you are too vulnerable to mount a protective response."

3. Ditch the sugar.

Clinical trials have shown that sugar actually suppresses immunity.

Opt instead for foods thought to help boost the immune system: brightly coloured fruits and veggies, fresh garlic, chicken soup and mushrooms.

4. Laugh.

It's the best medicine, after all.

One study found that laughter not only reduces stress, it improves natural killer (NK) cell activity, a part of your immune system.

"As low NK cell activity is linked to decreased disease resistance and increased morbidity in persons with cancer and HIV disease, laughter may be a useful behavioural intervention," researchers said.

5. Relax.

Stress weakens the immune system, so find ways to stress less.

A 2011 study found that women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who participated in "stress management intervention" while undergoing cancer treatments saw positive immune responses.

"Allowing the choice of preferred techniques and emphasizing the importance of long-term adherence, a relaxation program may need to be routinely offered to women under high stress," the researchers concluded.

Here are 10 relaxation techniques to try.