Antibiotic Exposure in Infancy and Risk of Being Overweight in the First 24 Months of Life

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Antibiotics have direct effects on the human intestinal microbiota, particularly in infancy. Antibacterial agents promote growth in farm animals by unknown mechanisms, but little is known about their effects on human weight gain. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of antibiotic exposure during infancy on weight and height in healthy Finnish children. METHODS:The population-based cohort comprised 6114 healthy boys and 5948 healthy girls having primary care weight and height measurements and drug purchase data from birth to 24 months. BMI and height, expressed as z-scores at the median age of 24 months (interquartile range 24 to 26 months), were compared between children exposed and unexposed to antibiotics using analysis of covariance with perinatal factors as covariates.RESULTS: Exposed children were on average heavier than unexposed children (adjusted BMI-forage z-score difference in boys 0.

Doble efecto en hombres frente a mujeres de la ingesta de antibióticos y la obesidad: una muestra de 29.904 sujetos españoles

“…Los efectos de los antibióticos, por tanto, pueden desempeñar un papel en la epidemia de la obesidad infantil en todo el mundo y poner de relieve la importancia del uso racional de los antibióticos en la infancia, lo que favorece los antibióticos de espectro reducido (10).…”

Antibiotic treatment and stewardship in the era of microbiota-oriented diagnostics

“…For instance, younger age partially protects against antibiotic-induced Clostridium difficile infection and severity [11]. In contrast, age at first antibiotic treatment has been inversely associated with risk of childhood obesity [12]. Being aware of this large degree of variability makes us realize that microbiota changes must be taken into account when deciding on what antibiotic to be used for a specific patient with a given disease under given medical conditions.…”

Antibiotic treatment in infants: effect on the gastro-intestinal microbiome and long term consequences

“…15 These adverse effects of antibiotics may play a role in the worldwide childhood obesity epidemic and highlight the importance of judicious use of antibiotics during infancy, favoring narrow-spectrum antibiotics. 14 Administration of three or more courses of antibiotics before children reach an age of two years is associated with an increased risk of early childhood obesity. 16 In a cohort study, 6.4 % children were obese at four years of age and exposure to antibiotics was associated with an increased risk of obesity at four years.…”