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A study conducted by researchers from the University of Monash demonstrated how childhood antibiotic use might lead to an unhealthy gut flora which increases the risk of developing autoimmune diseases in adulthood.

An autoimmune disease causes the immune system to attack healthy cells which the body regards as foreign, although it is not. Examples of these conditions are lupus, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel diseases, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The findings of the research suggested that the disruption in the growth of beneficial bacteria present in the intestines due to childhood antibiotics use may have an impact on the health as adults.

The investigators carried out experiments on female mice during pregnancy and their offspring after birth. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered to both for three weeks before their immune system was examined.

It was found later that the CD4 T cells, a type of immune cells, in the 8-week old pups dramatically induced the forming of a more severe and more rapid disease compared to a group of pups that did not receive broad spectrum antibiotics. It is important that these cells function normally or the body's inflammatory response will be heightened and results in diseases.

In many instances, childhood antibiotics use is inevitable but authorities reported that they have been frequently prescribed unnecessarily. It is essential that steps be made to improve gut health with proper diet, regular exercise and lowering stress levels.

For this reason, fermented foods are growing in popularity. The good bacteria present in these foods are said to aid in increasing the number of beneficial bacteria that have an impact on metabolism and immune system. Fermented food such as kimchi, kombucha, yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and others could help in this respect.

Autoimmune disease causes can be understood better through research about gut bacteria as they appear to play a role in how our immune system functions, the Huffington Post reported.