Hum Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 A spoonful of sugar not only makes medicine easier to swallow, but it also might increase its potency, according to a new study. The results show sugar can make certain antibiotics more effective at wiping out bacterial infections. The sugar tricks bacteria that would otherwise play dead into consuming the antibiotic and therefor end up really dead. Adding sugar to medication may augment treatment for some chronic bacterial infections, including staph and tuberculosis, the researchers say. So far, studies have only been conducted in animals, and more research is needed to see if the same results hold true in humans. But if they do, it's possible the antibiotics we already have could be improved without needing to make new drugs, which can be expensive. In addition, patients may not need to take multiple doses of antibiotics to combat recurrent infections, which would save on health care costs, said study researcher James Collins, a professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. The researchers hope the technique "would help to reduce recurrent infections," Collins said. The results are published in the May 12 issue of the journal Nature. more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun N. Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 "really dead" as opposed to just normally dead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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