Antibiotics Has the Tendency to Make Your Kids Obese

A recent study carried out in the International Journal of Obesity throws light on a frightening link between antibiotics and obesity. According to the journal giving babies antibiotics before six months could trigger obesity.

When consumed by infants the antibiotics have the tendency to alter or destroy the bacteria in the gut and may slowly set a stage for obesity. Such infants are 22 percent more prone to being a heavy baby.

New York Daily News quoted co-author Leonardo Trasande of the New York University School of Medicine saying, "We typically consider obesity an epidemic grounded in unhealthy diet and exercise, yet increasingly studies suggest it's more complicated. Microbes in our intestines may play critical roles in how we absorb calories, and exposure to antibiotics, especially early in life, may kill off healthy bacteria that influence how we absorb nutrients into our bodies, and would otherwise keep us lean."

This is the first study that focuses on how hazardous antibiotics are for infants.

The study was conducted on 11,532 children born in Britain's Avon region in 1991 and 1992. On carefully monitoring these kids, they learnt that children who were exposed to antibiotics in the initial five months of their life weighed more for their height when compared to those kids who never consumed antibiotics.

The study also revealed that children who received antibiotics between the age six and fourteen did not have a significant higher body mass in childhood.

"For many years now, farmers have known that antibiotics are great at producing heavier cows for market," co-author Jan Blustein, also of NYU, said in a press release. "While we need more research to confirm our findings, this carefully conducted study suggests that antibiotics influence weight gain in humans, and especially children too."

This study is beneficial as it will help to cut down the obesity rates in the United States.

WebMD quoted Scott Kahan, MD, MPH, Director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness in Washington, D.C. saying, "The study is a step forward in understanding the relationship between antibiotics and obesity "There have been thoughts and preliminary studies in recent years about the possibility that certain bacteria, viruses, or antibiotics could be one of the factors playing into the obesity problem. This takes us a little bit further, but it's far from definitive. The study should encourage people to rethink some of their preconceived notions about obesity. Many things play a role. It's more than just lack of willpower that causes a person to be overweight or obese."