Author Interviews, Kaiser Permanente, Lancet, Pediatrics, Weight Research / 29.12.2016
Infections in Infancy, Not Antibiotics Associated With Childhood Obesity
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
De-Kun Li, MD, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Division of Research
Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
Kaiser Permanente
Oakland, CA 94612
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The composition of gut microbia (microbiome) has emerged as a key contributor to human disease risk. The external influence on the composition of microbiome in early childhood, especially in infancy, has been linked to increased risk of childhood obesity. Several studies have examined use of antibiotics in infancy and reported an association between use of antibiotics and increased risk of childhood obesity. This has caused a great uncertainty among both pediatricians and parents regarding treatment of infant infections. However, the previous studies failed to separate the effect of underlying infections for which antibiotics were used from the effect of the antibiotics itself. The contribution of our study was to examine the effects of infections and antibiotic use separately.
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