Eradication of Bacteria

As we did into the science/modes of action as to what makes PEG 3350 detrimental to our health; gaining an understanding that PEG 3350 is an osmotic laxative leading to loose stools essentially causing medically induced c-difficile. 

The disruption of the microbiome is known to cause dysbiosis. This initial paper does a nice job of displaying the shift in the microbiome when exposed to PEG 3350. The author refers to PEG 3350 as “bacteria genocide” and has some visuals showing the depletion of beneficial bacteria allowing pathogenic bacteria to overtake the host. 

This shift in the microbiome may begin after a single dose of PEG 3350; while our focus will be on the off label use of MiraLAX(PEG 3350) it’s also important to note that this eradication of bacteria also occurs when prepping for a colonoscopy. Many of the drugs used for the prep contain polyethylene glycol. 

Additionally, we see a few additional papers (PDF 1) displaying the loss of beneficial bacteria when taking PEG 3350. The same author lays out the issues with PEG 3350, displaying the loss of beneficial bacteria and the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria. However, this is the first mention of the destruction done by PEG 3350 allowing oxygen (PDF 2) into the otherwise anaerobic microbiome exposing the host to oxidative stress. When oxygen is allowed to seep into an otherwise anaerobic environment, this may allow for the expansion of pathogenic bacteria. This could also lead to reduced levels of important metabolites such as the ever important short chain fatty acid butyrate (PDF 3).