In the United States, around 22 percent of older people have cognitive impairment, while around 10 percent have dementia. A new study suggests that antibiotics aren’t associated with the two conditions. Published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, the study shows that antibiotics are not connected with a raised risk of cognitive impairment or dementia in the short term.
“Older adults are more frequently prescribed antibiotics and are also at higher risk for cognitive decline,” said Andrew Chan, a study author and a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard Medical School, in a press release. “These findings offer reassurance about using these medications.”
Antibiotics have recently raised alarms for researchers studying two seemingly separate areas of the body: the gut and the brain.
“Antibiotics have been found in previous research to disrupt the gut microbiome, which is the community of tiny organisms that live ...
