Can antibiotics make a mercury problem worse?
Yes. In one scientific study, mice given antibiotics before they were exposed to mercury showed much greater levels of mercury in their tissues than mice who did not take antibiotics, but were given the same amount of mercury to ingest. This goes along with the idea that normal gut bacteria are help guard against the absorption of mercury. Antibiotics kill the good gut flora at the same time they are killing the harmful bacteria. This information is especially important for anyone who is eating mercury-contaminated food such as certain fish right after or during antibiotic therapy. While antibiotics can be lifesaving and are important drugs in today’s world, they sometimes come with a cost. They can increase mercury absorption as well as alter the bowel bacteria concentrations thus setting the stage for a yeast overgrowth problem in certain people. What are the most mercury contaminated fish? Swordfish, shark, large tuna (sushi tuna, albacore), king mackerel, and tilefish. Canned tuna
