The study analysed data from 64,580 children
According to a new study, giving antibiotics to young children increases the risk of childhood obesity. Children who had been given antibiotics at least four times before age two are more likely to be obese by the age of five, in comparison to children who had not received any antibiotics.
The study published in the the journal JAMA Pediatrics analysed data from 64,580 children from health records collected between 2001 and 2013.
Children who received the most antibiotics, four or more courses were 11 percent more likely to become obese compared to kids who have not received any.
Lead author Dr L Charles Bailey, from the children's hospital of Philadelphia in the US said, "This was a small change, but as obesity is so common it's important to track down as many causes as possible." He added that obesity may also be caused by the disease which the child needed the antibiotics for.
