A study published online this month in Gastroenterology says the administration of three or more courses of antibiotics before children reach an age of 2 years is associated with an increased risk of early childhood obesity.
“Antibiotics have been used to promote weight gain in livestock for several decades, and our research confirms that antibiotics have the same effect in humans,” said Frank Irving Scott, MD, MSCE, assistant professor of medicine at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, and adjunct scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. “Our results do not imply that antibiotics should not be used when necessary, but rather encourage both physicians and parents to think twice about antibiotic usage in infants in the absence of well-established indications.”
The researchers performed a large population-representative cohort study in the United Kingdom to assess the association between antibiotic exposure before age 2 years and obesity at age 4 years. Children with antibiotic exposure had a 25 percent relative increase in the risk of early childhood obesity. The risk was strongest when children were repeatedly exposed to antibiotics, particularly with three or more courses.
“Our work supports the theory that antibiotics may progressively alter the composition and function of the gut microbiome, thereby predisposing children to obesity as is seen in livestock and animal models,” added Dr. Scott.
Researchers say further study is required to assess whether the effects continue into adolescence and young adulthood, or if early antibiotic usage leads to later-onset obesity.
(Source)