Antibiotics and fuels for young children’s obesity risks

Early antibiotic exposure can significantly increase children’s risk of obesity, according to research presented at the Pediatric Society Conference in Honolulu this week.

A Finnish population study of more than 33,000 children showed that people who were given antibiotics during their first two years showed measurable weight differences that continued into their school year. Specifically, young children exposed to antibiotics had a higher BMI score and had a 20% increase in obesity risk at 12%.

“Antibiotic exposure in the first two years of life is stronger during pregnancy or other early stages than in childhood weight gain,” said Sofia Ainonen, MD, PhD, a MD from the University of Oulu in Finland and author of the study.

These findings are derived due to global concerns about pediatric obesity rates. According to recent statistics, more than 159 million school-age children worldwide were diagnosed with obesity in 2022, a major public health challenge.

What is particularly valuable for this study is its comprehensive timing approach. The researchers examined antibiotic exposure in multiple developmental windows: before pregnancy, during pregnancy, at birth, and during childhood. Their analysis showed that only antibiotics taken within the first two years were associated with subsequent weight problems.

Children exposed to antibiotics had an age- and gender-adjusted BMI of 0.067 higher than those of their unexposed peers. While this number seems modest, the risk of its translation into overweight is increased by 9%, and the risk of obesity is persisted into childhood.

The team used Finland’s comprehensive National Health Register, Electronic Medical Records and Growth Data to track 33,095 children who gave birth to vaginal delivery. This approach allows them to control many variables while examining long-term results.

Their data show how common antibiotic exposure is in young children. 68% of children in this study received antibiotics within the first two years. By comparison, 27% of mothers received antibiotics during pregnancy, and 21% of children were exposed to release during the perinatal period.

Dr. Ainonen highlighted what it means to health care providers: “Providers must be careful to prescribe antibiotics for young children, especially unnecessary antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections.”

Given that many children’s antibiotics are targeted at viral infections, they have no effect, this caution seems particularly guaranteed. Research shows that doctors should carefully weigh the direct benefits of antibiotic treatment and with potential long-term metabolic consequences.

The mechanisms behind this association may involve destruction of the gut microbiome – collecting beneficial bacteria that help regulate metabolism and immune function. Young children are a critical window of development when these microbial communities build themselves and may be particularly susceptible to disruption.

Interestingly, the study found no correlation between childhood BMI and antibiotic exposure at other times, including administration before conception, during pregnancy or during birth. This specificity emphasizes the unique sensitive period of the first two years as metabolic programming.

These findings add to growing evidence to expose life-long antibiotics to various health outcomes. Previous studies linked antibiotics to immune development, allergic risks, and now more final weight regulation.

For parents and pediatricians, this information seems clear: wise use of antibiotics in the early years of a child may have lasting benefits for metabolic health. As childhood obesity rates continue to rise globally, it is becoming increasingly important to identify variable risk factors.

The next step for the research team may focus on examining specific pathways that involve early antibiotic exposure and weight gain. As Dr. Ainonen noted in the conclusions of the study, “Study that studies examining the possible causal pathways between early life antibiotics and children’s overweight and obesity should focus on the first two years of life.”