Two studies from New Zealand showed dose-dependent associations between early antibiotic exposure and increased body-mass index by age 4 to 5 years, but there may be unmeasured confounding factors.
Hypotheses linking early antibiotic exposure to childhood obesity posit that repeated exposure to antibiotics prenatally or during the first 1 to 2 years of life changes the gut microbiota to an obesogenic microbiome, leading to increases in body-mass index (BMI) or obesity later in life. Two studies from New Zealand, a prospective cohort study of 5128 singletons and a retrospective cross-sectional study of 151,359 children, examined this link.
Antibiotic exposure was common, occurring in 95% of children by 4 years of age in the prospective study and in 82% of children by 2 years of age in the retrospective study. In the prospective study, having more than 9 exposures to antibiotics by age 48 months increased the risk for obesity 2.4 times. …
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DisclosuresGrant/Research SupportNIH Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Center for Pediatric Practice Based Research Learning; Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Editorial BoardsCurrent Problems in Pediatric Adolescent Healthcare
Leadership Positions in Professional Societies College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Board of Trustees)
DisclosuresGrant/Research SupportNIH Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Center for Pediatric Practice Based Research Learning; Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Editorial BoardsCurrent Problems in Pediatric Adolescent Healthcare
Leadership Positions in Professional Societies College of Physicians of Philadelphia (Board of Trustees)