Scientists from Peking University found that killing the intestinal bacteria Helicobacter pylori with antibiotics reduces the risk of developing stomach cancer. Research results published In the journal Nature Medicine.
The study involved residents of about a thousand Chinese villages. At the first stage, scientists conducted a breath test among 180 thousand subjects to determine the presence of Helicobacter pylori bacteria in the intestines. Previous scientific studies have shown that Helicobacter pylori causes erosive and ulcerative changes in the mucous membrane of the stomach, duodenum, and peptic ulcer.
Half of the participants infected with H. pylori were given a 10-day course of antibiotics to kill the bacteria. After that, scientists followed the volunteers for 10 years and recorded all cases of stomach cancer. It turned out that the risk of developing the disease was 13% lower in people who took antibiotics than in people who were not prescribed the drugs. When H. pylori was successfully eliminated, the risk of cancer was further reduced by 19%.
Scientists noted that the reduction in the risk of stomach cancer was significantly greater in people under the age of 45. Those who successfully got rid of the bacteria had a 35 percent lower incidence of the disease and a 43 percent lower risk of death. Antibiotic treatment did not have such positive results in people aged 45 and over.
Previously named symptoms of oral cancer.
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Source: Gazeta
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