A new study suggests that children who take a lot of antibiotics before the age of 2 are more likely than others to be obese.
The study takes a fascinating look at beginning stages of life and the role beneficial bacteria plays in normal development. According to researchers, exposure to a variety of medications has the potential to kill off some of the beneficial bacteria necessary to protect people from chronic disease and aid in weight control.
The researchers suggest antibiotics and processed foods may be altering our “microbiome,” an ecosystem of 100 trillion microbes inside out body.
“It’s coming in every direction,” said Charles Blaser, author of Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics is Fueling Our Modern Plagues, who was not involved in the new study. “We’re really assaulting our microbiome.”
Antibiotic Study
For their study, researchers examined the health records of nearly 65,000 children between 2001 and 2013. They uncovered that nearly 70 percent of children received oral antibiotics by the age of 2, and the average was 2.3 rounds of antibiotics per child.
After analyzing the data, researchers discovered that children who received four or more rounds of antibiotics prior to their second birthday were 11 percent more likely to become obese compared to kids who received no antibiotics. Other findings from the study include:
- Children who received a broad range of antibiotics – those that kill a variety of different bacteria – were 16 percent more likely to become obese.
- In all, about 10 percent of the kids were obese by age 2, 14 percent were obese by age 3 and 15 percent were overweight by age 4.
- 23 percent of children in the study were overweight by age 2, 30 percent were overweight by age 3, and 33 percent were overweight by age 4.
- The two most common reasons for antibiotic use in young children were for bronchitis and ear infections.
Despite the interesting findings, researchers noted that other factors such as race, income levels and overall health might also play a role in toddler weight gain. Study author Charles Bailey believes the findings are just something to keep in mind as a parent.
“it’s just another piece of the puzzle.”
Related source: USA Today