Are antibiotics in babies likely to trigger obesity?

Are antibiotics in babies likely to trigger obesity? (Photo: gettyimages)

Jakarta: Babies who are often prescribed antibiotics before the age of two are more likely to be obese. This study is based on new research conducted in the United States on the history of infant treatment and obesity in hundreds of thousands of children under eight years of age.

The researchers hypothesized that this could occur because of the effects of the drugs on the proper microbial environment present in the growth of children's intestines.

However, the researchers also claim that microbes are disrupted because of an infection or fever that may be related to taking antibiotics or not. Parents are asked to make sure that the medicines that children take are what they need when they are sick.

Antibiotics play a major role in the treatment of infections, which allows the administration of antibiotics to infected children. Parents must really understand the illness that the child suffers in order to administer the appropriate antibiotics.

However, the researchers argue that the findings are used as a parent's vision. Additional research is needed because obesity in children is not only caused by antibiotics, but also by many factors such as the environment, behavior and genetics.

(ELG)