Antibiotics given to babies in the first six months of life raise risk of obesity

Babies given antibiotics in the first six months of life are more likely to be fat as toddlers, a large-scale study has found.

The researchers said say that just as antibiotics are used to make farm animals put on weight, the may also be fattening our children.

Writing in the respected medical journal Pediatrics, they said that the widely-prescribed drugs could be contributing to the obesity epidemic.

A third of 10-11 year olds and more than a fifth of 4-5 year olds in England are overweight or obese, leading to fears that today's generation will be the first to die at an earlier age than their parents.

The Finnish researchers compared the weight and height of more than 12,000 healthy two year old with records on antibiotic prescription.

By two years-old, one in five boys and one in ten girls was overweight or obese. And children who had taken antibiotics as young babies were particularly likely to be overweight.

Repeated prescriptions before the age of two also raised the odds of being a fat toddler. Boys seemed particularly prone weight gain after being given antibiotics.

They were also slightly taller than boys who hadn't been given the drugs. The study didn't prove that antibiotics were causing weight gain.

But if they do, it may be because they kill of bugs in the gut that would normally feed on some of the food eaten. This frees up more food for the body. Killing certain gut bugs may also increase appetite.

Lead author Dr Antti Saari, of Kuopio University Hospital, warned: 'Antibiotic exposure before six months of age, or repeatedly during infancy, was associated with increased body mass in healthy children.

'Such effects may play a role in the worldwide childhood obesity epidemic and highlight the importance of judicious use of antibiotics in infancy. The worldwide obesity epidemic is real, and is more pronounced for boys.

'An increase in the use of antibiotics could be an additional contributing factor to the development of excess weight problems.

'The crucial role of antibiotics in the improvement of human health is unquestionable but their extended use today has undesirable and unexpected consequences.'

Previous research has found that babies given antibiotics are at higher risk of eczema and digestive problems.

The studies come amid growing concern that the over-prescription of antibiotics is leading to the pills losing their power and making common infections harder to treat.

The Government has warned that a new superbug could infect up to 200,000 Britons and kill 80,000 in a single outbreak.

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