Antibiotics make babies fat

Taking antibiotics in early childhood may be the cause of later obesity

23/08/2012

Preserving antibiotics in babies will increase the risk of overweight later in life. This is the conclusion of two studies published in the journal „Nature“ and the „International Journal of Obesity“ were published. According to the researchers, the intake of antibiotics in the first six months of life affects the intestinal flora, the activity of certain genes and metabolism.

As the researchers around the microbiologist Martin Blaser of the New York University School of Medicine „International Journal of Obesity“ Report was „Exposure to antibiotics during the first six months of life with a consistent increase in body mass“ connected in the later months of life. The second also carried out by Martin Blaser and colleagues and in the trade magazine „Nature“ published study shows on the basis of animal experiments with mice, that the connection between the use of antibiotics and weight gain is due to a changed composition and functioning of the intestinal flora, the activity of certain genes and the conversion of the metabolism.

Antibiotic use evaluated in over 11,000 children
The two recent studies by the research team led by Martin Blaser make it clear that the intake of antibiotics in the baby's age has an influence on the subsequent development of obesity. The scientists based their statistical studies on the „Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children“ (ALSPAC), which includes the data of 11,532 children born in the United Kingdom in the years 1991-1992. In the ALSPAC, among other things, the antibiotic intake „during three different early time windows“ reviewed in the lives of children, report Blaser and colleagues. The study shows the exposure of children to antibiotics during the first six months of life, between the ages of sixteen and fourteen and between the ages of 15 and 23 months. In addition, the body mass of the children (the body mass index) at five time points (after 6 weeks, 10 months, 20 months, 38 months and 7 years) was recorded.

Link between antibiotic intake and overweight risk
On the basis of the data, the scientists were able to establish a clear statistical correlation between the intake of antibiotics in the first six months of life and the development of obesity up to the age of three years. Exposure to antibiotics increased overweight risk by as much as 22 percent between the ages of 10 and 38 months, reports Blaser and colleagues. The intake of antimicrobial drugs later in life, however, had no comparable relationship with the development of the body mass index. Although the observed effect had not been particularly serious during exposure to antibiotics in the first six months of life, the relationship was statistically clear, write the US scientists. However, this purely statistical study does not yet reveal whether and how the antibiotics are responsible for the development of obesity.

Altered intestinal flora, activity of the genes and conversion of the metabolism by antibiotics
However, the second study by Martin Blaser and colleagues provides evidence of how early exposure to antibiotics can lead to increased weight gain in the coming months of life. The impact of taking common antibiotics on the weight of animals, as shown in experiments on mice, also offers a possible explanation for why the drugs in the fattening of livestock have a growth-promoting effect. The researchers administered the animals different antimicrobial drugs, including antibiotics such as penicillin, tetracycline and vancomycin, in canned, as they are also illegally used in Germany to promote growth in animal husbandry. In the treatment of diseases usually significantly higher concentrations of active ingredients are used. Subsequently, the scientists observed the development of the body weight of the animals. They found that the mice exposed to antibiotics had a higher body fat percentage after seven weeks compared to a control group, even though their weight was still under control at that time. After half a year (26 weeks), the antibiotic mice showed not only a different body fat distribution, but also a significantly higher body weight than their conspecifics, write Blaser and colleagues.

Taking antibiotics results in increased fat deposits
According to the scientists, the exposure to antibiotics has permanently changed the intestinal flora of the mice and also caused an increased level of the hormones, which are related to the metabolism. Although the number of bacteria in the intestinal flora remained almost the same, but their composition has been fundamentally shifted, reports the research team to Martin Blaser. In addition, microbiologists observed changes in the activity of certain key genes associated with the utilization of carbohydrates and short chain fatty acids. The interaction of the different effects of antibiotic use seems to result in more nutrients being extracted from the diet, more calories per meal, and additional fat deposits being formed. In this way, the early exposure to antibiotics influences the physical development and ultimately leads to a higher risk of overweight, the conclusion of Blaser and colleagues. The observed parallel increase in antibiotic use and overall obesity worldwide may therefore be causally related. Generally, the excessive use of antibiotics in medicine but also in livestock husbandry for this reason urgently reconsidered, said the experts. (Fp)

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Image: Sabrina Gonstalla