Antibiotic therapy promotes obesity in infants

An antibiotic therapy in the first months of life may affect on the metabolism of the children so that their risk of later developing obesity will enlarged. It is findings of a recent study from US.

An antibiotic therapy in infancy may later promote obesity. This is indicated by an American study, which one was carried out more than with 10,000 babies. Accordingly, children who were exposed to antibiotic therapy in the ege to the sixth month of life, get higher risk develop of obesity than others.

While obesity is often associated with an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, the problem is probably more complex, as claims investigator Leonardo Trasande. While it is a result of the study not proofs direct causal relationship between treatment with antibiotics and the subsequent development of overweight. However, the study authors suggest that antibiotics may affect on the bacterial flora of stomach. So it means that the absorption and utilization of food in the human body changes.

According to the researchers, it is mainly on the period of antibiotic consumption. Сhildren who receive antibiotics before their sixth month of life, later often exposed to the development of overweight. Reaction in children who were treated with antibiotics after that date(6 month) cannot be determined. The study’s authors have concerns that antibiotic therapy is often necessary, but often assigned too quickly or incorrectly.