India, Oct. 2 -- Cutting down on sugary foods during antibiotic treatment may help preserve healthy gut bacteria, particularly in patients undergoing treatment for blood cancer, according to a new study.
For the study, researchers examined 173 patients with blood cancers who were undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation. They tracked what patients ate across 9,419 hospital meals and regularly collected stool samples to study changes in the bacteria living in their digestive systems.
The patients underwent intensive treatment before receiving their transplants. This included chemotherapy and, for some patients, radiation to destroy existing immune cells and prepare the body for the transplant. Antibiotics were also used throughout the...