Scientists from Baylor University in Texas have found compelling evidence linking the recent rise of virulent Clostridium difficile infections to a widely used sugar additive, trehalose. Antibiotic-resistant C. diff infections are one of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare industry, with the Centers for Disease Control reporting that in a year, the bacteria kill 15,000 people within thirty days of infection. Baylor researchers noticed that the C. diff epidemic exploded within two years of trehalose’s FDA approval and determined that two particular bacteria strains, RT027 and RT078, were capable of using trehalose as their sole carbon source.

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Why Trehalose?

Trehalose is a disaccharide sugar found naturally in mushrooms, shrimp, and many insects. Prior to 2000, trehalose as an alternative food additive was too expensive to be widely used. However, a Japanese company introduced a way to extract the sugar, and it is now added to a wide range of food products, like ice cream, fruit, frozen foods, baked goods, and various beverages.

Researchers were not able to identify trehalose as the reason for the C. diff epidemic. After all, only two strains of C.diff thrived on trehalose. Those strains, RT027 and RT078, didn’t experience an increase in the number of bacteria. However, the RT027’s enhanced ability to metabolize trehalose resulted in more C. diff toxins, making the bacteria more virulent.

Related: Healthy Sugar Alternatives & More

We Know What Doesn’t Work

Not all C. diff develops into a serious or life-threatening infection.  But the link between trehalose and the virulence of C. diff bacteria makes the case that these infections are of our own making. When we eat sugar or processed food (trehalose is almost always both), we feed potentially harmful bacteria and overwhelm beneficial bacteria. Previous research has also linked serious cases of C. diff with antibiotic use, a treatment methodology that wipes out the beneficial bacteria necessary for gut balance.

Related: Sugar Industry Has Had Evidence Linking Sugar to Heart Disease for Nearly Half a Century

This new study appears to confirm the information we already have – the standard Western diet of processed, sugary foods has serious consequences.

Sources:

• How C. Diff Infections Decrease with Fewer Antibiotics – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
• A popular sugar additive may have fueled the spread of not one but two superbugs – LA Times
• Food Additive May Be Worsening Clostridium Difficile Epidemic – American Council on Science and Health
• Nearly half a million Americans suffered from Clostridium difficile infections in a single year – CDC.gov

The percentage of new Clostridium difficile infections reported in healthcare facilities has dropped for the first time since 2000, says the CDC’s Emerging Infections Program. A sneak peek at the information on C. diff infections from 2011-2014 provided by shows a decrease in the rates of infections in healthcare settings. According to Dr. Alice Guh, a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control, “Preliminary analyses suggest a 9 to 15 percent decrease in health care [C. diff] incidence nationally.”

But wait! The actual number of C. diff infections is on the rise. In 2011, deaths from C. diff infections reached almost 30,000 people and an additional 500,000 cases of illness were reported. So what does it mean when infections are on the decline in healthcare settings where they are most commonly contracted, yet on the rise elsewhere? Science does not yet have an answer, but current positive results indicate that cleanliness, not antibiotics, is the future.

A Brief Primer

Many of the people who have C. diff in their intestine never develop an infection, because our “beneficial” bacteria in the gut are able to keep pathogens in check, like with candida. If the beneficial bacteria are not able to counteract the c. diff, infections can cause diarrhea, painful stomach cramping, kidney infections, fever, and dehydration in varying degrees. C. diff is also an incredibly resilient bacteria. Spores can last for months outside of the body and can only be killed with bleach, UV cleaning, and other similar methods.

The treatment for C. diff is usually antibiotics, stronger antibiotics, and the antibiotics of last resort. For anyone who is at all familiar with how the gut functions, this is a recipe for disaster. The antibiotics set the gut up for failure by killing the beneficial bacteria that balance gut flora and keep the C. diff in check. Studies have shown that even occupying the same hospital room as someone who has taken antibiotics increases the likelihood of a C. diff infection developing.

“C”-ing a Difference

So what has changed in the last ten years that has yielded the notable decrease of C. diff infection rates in healthcare facilities?

In unsurprising news, the answer is not antibiotics. Healthcare practitioners deliberately limited the amount of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed and instead focused on cleaning and implementing new infection protocols aimed at controlling the spread of C. diff. These changes are also beneficial in lowering rates of other antibiotic-resistant infections and the number of diarrheal deaths in the U.S. overall.

Yet C. Diff Remains a Major Health Concern

Despite that, death rates from infections caused by this particular bacteria are still reaching dangerous and expensive levels. The number of deaths from C. diff infections rose from 3,000 to 14,000 in a period of 7 years, and. As repeated antibiotic use has left us with the hardiest specimens of an already hardy bacteria, the need for personal responsibility in managing C. diff is greater than ever.

Following the example of the healthcare system and restricting unnecessary (or all, if possible) antibiotics while applying best hygiene practices, but these new hospital cleanliness procedures are only a piece of the puzzle in dealing with C. diff and other bacterial infections effectively (spoiler alert: more produce helps!). They are also a piece of the puzzle that will be difficult for the average person to replicate. But there are other ways to reduce the chance of infection developing due to rampant C. diff.

The Strong Survive

It’s simplistic to reduce the fascinating and intricate workings of the gut microbiome to good guys and bad guys, but it’s useful in helping to focus on what matters the most: balance. In nursing homes, as many as half of the residents may have C. diff colonized in their gut. Since not all of those with the C. diff (bad guy) experience infection, something is halting the microbe’s progress.

Enter the good guys – your beneficial microbes. Many of the people, even people living in the same facilities, house the C. diff bacteria with no infection. A resilient, opportunistic bacteria like C. diff is looking for a host it can take advantage of, and a body dealing with a toxic overload with depleted beneficial bacteria is an easy target. Cultivating those microbes by consuming fresh, raw, organic produce and eliminating processed, artificially produced food are the best and most necessary ways to build your body’s natural defenses.

Recommended Reading:

• How to Cure Lyme Disease and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

Sources:

• Diff Infections Are Falling, Thanks To Better Cleaning And Fewer Antibiotics – NPR
• Bacteria Resistant to All Available Antibiotics has Claimed Its First Victim – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
• Antibiotic Side Effects Are Contagious – C. Diff Infections Are On The Rise – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
• Vital Signs: Preventing Clostridium difficile Infections – CDC.gov

The gut microbiome is getting some recognition lately. Scientists are finding increasing evidence that the delicate balance of the gut is responsible for making and keeping us healthy. The focus of the microbiome has turned attention to antibiotics and the damage we are doing by overusing them. Antibiotics disrupt the natural balance of the gut, destroying beneficial bacteria and allowing pathogens to thrive unchecked. If you’re not using prescription antibiotics there are plenty of other sources you’re likely getting it from.

A microbiota is “the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space”- Wikipedia

The Nitty-Gritty

C. diff is a bacteria that inflames the colon and is spread by spores from person to person. C. diff exists throughout organic environments (water, air, human and animal waste, earth, and food products) and for some people, the bacteria can exist in the intestine without ever making its host sick. When it does cause an infection, symptoms range from watery diarrhea and mild cramping to more severe cramping and diarrhea, kidney failure, fever, and dehydration. Potentially deadly,  C. diff is especially common in hospital settings due to the widespread use of antibiotics. Much like Candida, C. diff thrives when antibiotics wipe the good bacteria from the intestine, leaving it unable to fight off the infection. C. diff is also quite hardy, and the spores that spread it can survive outside of the body for up to 90 days.

With the Rise of Antibiotics Comes the Rise of Everyday Infections

Overprescribed to humans and animals, antibiotics have invaded our lives in multiple ways, forcing crafty bacteria, fungi, and viruses to adapt. The recommended conventional treatment for C. diff is antibiotics, which seems crazy, as antibiotics created the ideal environment for C. diff to thrive.

Rates of C. diff infections are rising in and out of hospitals and in populations not traditionally susceptible to it, like children or people without a history of antibiotic use. So why is it spreading to these populations? The reason behind the increase of C. diff infections in children can be explained by the increasing amounts of antibiotics they’re exposed to both internally and environmentally.

Even if you aren’t using antibiotics yourself, a recent study found that occupying the same hospital room as someone who has been given antibiotics increases your likelihood of developing a bacterial infection like Clostridium difficile colitis (or C. diff).

The world seems determined to impact our health through antibiotics in one way or another. The idea that someone taking antibiotics in the same room as you is enough to increase your chance of a bacterial infection is scary. Also scary; the question why does it affect you. If antibiotics have the potential to do that much damage to our vital and not even fully understood microflora, what have we been doing to ourselves and when is the bottom going to fall out of this whole thing?

Taking a Step Back

So let’s take a step back from antibiotics. If you’re reading this, on this website, you’ve probably started choosing the meat you eat very carefully, if you even eat meat at all. A diet consisting of fresh, raw, organic produce (big, beautiful salads with over twenty veggies in them) gives your body and immune system the nutrition it needs, and exercise also plays a part. In the event a bacterial or fungal infection occurs, paying attention to your body and catching it early gives you the chance to take care of yourself.

Of course, that isn’t everything, and sometimes we eat something we shouldn’t or there’s a particularly nasty little bug hanging around. Supplements like Oil of Oregano, Coptis Chinesis, or a good Detox can provide relief. Antibiotics are not your first answer.  Antibiotics were designed as a medicine of last resort, so make them that.

Related Reading:

• How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System
• Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally

Sources:

• Antibiotics Encourage Spread of C.diff To Subsequent Patients Who Occupy the Same Bed and Haven’t Received Antibiotics – MedicalResearch,com
• Receipt of Antibiotics in Hospitalized Patients and Risk for Clostridium difficile Infection in Subsequent Patients Who Occupy the Same Bed – The JAMA Network
• C. Difficile Infection – Mayo Clinic
• Consumer Reports Names Hospitals With High C. Diff Infection Rates – consumerreports.org