Antibiotics in the baby age increase overweight risk

Antibiotics in the baby age increase the risk of obesity

24/08/2012

If babies are treated with antibiotics before the age of six months, it will increase the risk of overweight at the age of three. Microbiologist Martin Blaser of the New York University School of Medicine and his team came to this conclusion in two major studies. Accordingly, there is a direct relationship between the intake of antibiotics and obesity.

Antibiotics before the sixth month of life increase the risk of obesity by 22 percent
In the first study, Balser and his team analyzed more than 11,000 pediatric data to find out if they were being treated with antibiotics at the age of 5 months, between the 6th and 14th months, and the 15th and 23rd months , At the same time, the body weight and size of the children were recorded at different times.

When evaluating the data, the researchers came to a clear conclusion: Children who take antibiotics before the age of six months, have a 22 percent increased risk of becoming overweight at the age of ten months to three years. If the antibiotics were administered at a later date, according to researchers, no relationship was found. However, the study results did not show that antibiotics increased the weight, they only showed one together, the researchers explain.

„Although the effects of early intake at an individual level are low, they could have significant health consequences for the population. Given the prevalence of infant antimicrobials and growing concerns about childhood obesity, further studies are needed to narrow down the impact and define the impact of lifestyle on body weight and risk of cardiovascular disease“, the researchers write. Obesity has increased worldwide around the same time as the use of antibiotics. There may be a link between the disproportionate use of the drugs in livestock and for medical reasons. The study is in the journal „International Journal of Obsedity“ appeared.

Antibiotics change the metabolism
As the intake of antibiotics leads to obesity, Balser could prove in a second study. He and his team studied the intestinal flora and metabolism of mice that received antibiotics. They found that the drug caused so much change that the mice later in their lives significantly more fat stored than untreated animals. This effect is used consciously, for example, in the animal mast.

While the number of bacteria in the intestinal flora of mice remained constant despite the antibiotic, the numbers of different microbial species shifted. Some key genes for the conversion of carbohydrates into fatty acids also changed. In addition, abnormal liver values ​​were measured with respect to the processing of cholesterol and fatty acids in the treated mice.

By taking antibiotics, it changes the intestinal flora and metabolism, so that more nutrients are obtained from the diet and thus more calories are supplied to the body. In an "early life phase of a child, the basis for later obesity could be created inadvertently", the researchers say. (Ag)

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