(13-09-12) Young children more likely to be obese if given antibiotics as babies, study shows

by J. D. Heyes

(NaturalNews) Antibiotics took another hit recently as researchers in Great
Britain concluded following a massive study that young children tend to be
fatter if they were given antibiotics as babies.

Researchers examined a total of 11,532 infants born in Avon, U.K, from 1991-
1992 who were exposed to antibiotics during three early lifetime periods
ranging from fewer than six months old, 6-14 months and 15-23 months. Indices
of body mass were taken at five time points - six weeks, 10 months, 20 months,
38 months and seven years).

"Antibiotic exposure during the earliest time window (fewer than six months
old) was consistently associated with increased body mass," the study found,
the results of which were published in the International Journal of Obesity.
"Exposure from 6 to 14 months showed no association with body mass, while
exposure from 15 to 23 months was significantly associated with increased BMI
(body mass index)" at seven years old. "Exposures to non-antibiotic medications
were not associated with body mass."

Findings could lead to gains in additional research areas

"Exposure to antibiotics during the first six months of life is associated
with consistent increases in body mass from 10 to 38 months," while "exposure
later in infancy (6-14 months, 15-23 months) are not consistently associated
with increased body mass," the study concluded. After 38 months, children were
22 percent more likely to be overweight.

"Although effects of early exposures are modest at the individual level, they
could have substantial consequences for population health. Given the prevalence
of antibiotic exposures in infants, and in light of the growing concerns about
childhood obesity, further studies are needed to isolate effects and define
life-course implications for body mass and cardiovascular risks," researchers
said.

The team opined that one cause could be that the drugs are affecting bacteria
in the gut, which eventually leads to weight gain, but they affirm that more
research is needed to establish a link.

"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," Dr. Leonardo Trasande, of New York University School
of Medicine, one of the researchers, told the BBC.

"We typically consider obesity an epidemic grounded in unhealthy diet and
exercise, yet increasingly, studies suggest it's more complicated," he added.

Microbiologist, Dr. Cormac Gahan, from University College Cork, added that
there was a lot of research interest in the area, "but it is very early stages
for this type of work."

Not popular, but effective

Bacteria living on a human by far outnumber the body's own cells, so there is
a rising interest in how this "microbiome" may affect human health. In extreme
circumstances, the BBC said, there are instances of doctors transplanting fecal
matter in order to introduce so-called "healthy" bacteria into the gut to treat
infections when other methods have failed.

Dr. Alisdair MacConnachie, of Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow, has used
the procedure to successfully treat Clostridium difficle infection, but says it
should only be utilized as a last resort. Since 2003, he has performed 20 such
operations.

"Ultimately, all the patients I've treated, bar one, has got rid of their C.
difficile," he said.

"My personal view is that this technique is there for patients who have tried
all the traditional treatments," he continued. "If a patient doesn't respond to
that and still gets recurrent C. difficile, then they're in real trouble and
there isn't really any other technique or any other treatment that has the
proven efficacy that fecal transplant does."

He admits the procedure might turn your stomach and that's likely why more
physicians aren't using it - because he doubts it would be very popular among
patients.

Sources:

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ijo2012132a.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19341639

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15113440

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