Our gut is full of tiny creatures that help us digest our food, protect us from harmful intruders, and act as the telephone line between our digestive system and brain . From bacteria and fungi to viruses , these microbial communities help keep our insides shipshape.

But when we take medications, we disrupt this tightly run ship – and not just temporarily, a large new study finds. The impact of these drugs can still be seen years later.

What's more, it's not just antibiotics that cause this intestinal havoc, but other common medications do too.

"The effect of drug usage has been underestimated," a team led by genomicist Oliver Aasmets from the University of Tartu in Estonia writes in its paper .

"The effects of antibiotics, psycholeptics , antidepressants, proton pump in

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