Antibiotic Exposure in Infancy and Development of BMI and Body Composition in Childhood

Overview

Journal EClinicalMedicine

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2020 Jan 1

PMID 31891142

Citations 4

Authors

Tobias Steen Sejersen

Rebecca Kofod Vinding

Jakob Stokholm

Bo Chawes

Klaus Bonnelykke

Martin Krakauer

Hans Bisgaard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: It has been hypothesized that antibiotic usage in early life could contribute to development of overweight in childhood. Studies have seen association between antibiotic usage and overweight in childhood. We aimed to investigate the relationship between antibiotic exposure in infancy and development of body mass index (BMI) and body composition.

Methods: A prospective mother-child cohort study of 738 pregnant women and their 700 children, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC). Information on antibiotic exposure was collected by interviews. Height/length and weight measures were collected at age 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 years and body composition was determined by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan at age 3.5 and 6 years.

Findings: 306 (46%) of the 661 children were exposed to antibiotics before 1 year of age. There were no differences in BMI z-score development at age 1-6 years between children exposed to antibiotics compared to unexposed: z-score difference, -0.06 (95%CI: -0.17;0.06),  = 0.33, and no sex-differences (p-interaction = 0.48). Children exposed vs. not exposed to antibiotics had comparable fat percentage at 6 years of age: log(mean difference), 0.60% (95%CI: -0.212 to 1.41),  = 0.15.

Interpretation: Children exposed to antibiotics had similar BMI, BMI z-score and body composition between 1 and 6 years of life compared to unexposed children. Our study does not support the hypothesis that antibiotic exposure in infancy leads to development of obesity in the first 6 years of life.

Funding: The Lundbeck Foundation, The Ministry of Health, Danish Council for Strategic Research and The Capital Region Research Foundation.

Citing Articles

Effect of antibiotics on physical and physiological development of children under 5-A scoping review.

Dumbre D, Devi S, Chavan R J Educ Health Promot. 2024; 13:164.

PMID: 39268451 PMC: 11392287. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_41_24.

Can the Evidence-Based Use of Probiotics (Notably Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) Mitigate the Clinical Effects of Antibiotic-Associated Dysbiosis?.

Waitzberg D, Guarner F, Hojsak I, Ianiro G, Polk D, Sokol H Adv Ther. 2024; 41(3):901-914.

PMID: 38286962 PMC: 10879266. DOI: 10.1007/s12325-024-02783-3.

The impact of early life antibiotic use on atopic and metabolic disorders: Meta-analyses of recent insights.

Bejaoui S, Poulsen M Evol Med Public Health. 2020; 2020(1):279-289.

PMID: 33324484 PMC: 7723877. DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoaa039.

Maternal antibiotic use and vaginal infections in the third trimester of pregnancy and the risk of obesity in preschool children.

Isaevska E, Popovic M, Pizzi C, Fiano V, Rusconi F, Merletti F Pediatr Obes. 2020; 15(8):e12632.

PMID: 32174046 PMC: 7507215. DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12632.

References

Murphy R, Stewart A, Braithwaite I, Beasley R, Hancox R, Mitchell E . Antibiotic treatment during infancy and increased body mass index in boys: an international cross-sectional study. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013; 38(8):1115-9. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2013.218. View

Deckelbaum R, Williams C . Childhood obesity: the health issue. Obes Res. 2001; 9 Suppl 4:239S-243S. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2001.125. View

Saari A, Virta L, Sankilampi U, Dunkel L, Saxen H . Antibiotic exposure in infancy and risk of being overweight in the first 24 months of life. Pediatrics. 2015; 135(4):617-26. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2014-3407. View

Ajslev T, Andersen C, Gamborg M, Sorensen T, Jess T . Childhood overweight after establishment of the gut microbiota: the role of delivery mode, pre-pregnancy weight and early administration of antibiotics. Int J Obes (Lond). 2011; 35(4):522-9. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2011.27. View

Vinding R, Sejersen T, Chawes B, Bonnelykke K, Buhl T, Bisgaard H . Cesarean Delivery and Body Mass Index at 6 Months and Into Childhood. Pediatrics. 2017; 139(6). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-4066. View

Mbakwa C, Scheres L, Penders J, Mommers M, Thijs C, Arts I . Early Life Antibiotic Exposure and Weight Development in Children. J Pediatr. 2016; 176:105-113.e2. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.06.015. View

Sanmiguel C, Gupta A, Mayer E . Gut Microbiome and Obesity: A Plausible Explanation for Obesity. Curr Obes Rep. 2015; 4(2):250-61. PMC: 4443745. DOI: 10.1007/s13679-015-0152-0. View

Rothney M, Martin F, Xia Y, Beaumont M, Davis C, Ergun D . Precision of GE Lunar iDXA for the measurement of total and regional body composition in nonobese adults. J Clin Densitom. 2012; 15(4):399-404. DOI: 10.1016/j.jocd.2012.02.009. View

Dethlefsen L, Relman D . Incomplete recovery and individualized responses of the human distal gut microbiota to repeated antibiotic perturbation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 108 Suppl 1:4554-61. PMC: 3063582. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1000087107. View

10.

Vissing N, Jensen S, Bisgaard H . Validity of information on atopic disease and other illness in young children reported by parents in a prospective birth cohort study. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2012; 12:160. PMC: 3504537. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-12-160. View

11.

Azad M, Bridgman S, Becker A, Kozyrskyj A . Infant antibiotic exposure and the development of childhood overweight and central adiposity. Int J Obes (Lond). 2014; 38(10):1290-8. DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2014.119. View

12.

Koo W . Body composition measurements during infancy. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000; 904:383-92. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06487.x. View

13.

Cole T, Bellizzi M, Flegal K, Dietz W . Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. BMJ. 2000; 320(7244):1240-3. PMC: 27365. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.320.7244.1240. View

14.

Lee G, Reveles K, Attridge R, Lawson K, Mansi I, Lewis 2nd J . Outpatient antibiotic prescribing in the United States: 2000 to 2010. BMC Med. 2014; 12:96. PMC: 4066694. DOI: 10.1186/1741-7015-12-96. View

15.

Bailey L, Forrest C, Zhang P, Richards T, Livshits A, DeRusso P . Association of antibiotics in infancy with early childhood obesity. JAMA Pediatr. 2014; 168(11):1063-9. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.1539. View

16.

Raum E, Kupper-Nybelen J, Lamerz A, Hebebrand J, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Brenner H . Tobacco smoke exposure before, during, and after pregnancy and risk of overweight at age 6. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011; 19(12):2411-7. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2011.129. View

17.

Kaminsky L, Ozemek C, Williams K, Byun W . Precision of total and regional body fat estimates from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometer measurements. J Nutr Health Aging. 2014; 18(6):591-4. DOI: 10.1007/s12603-014-0012-8. View

18.

Afshin A, Forouzanfar M, Reitsma M, Sur P, Estep K, Lee A . Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years. N Engl J Med. 2017; 377(1):13-27. PMC: 5477817. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1614362. View

19.

Hill J, Melanson E . Overview of the determinants of overweight and obesity: current evidence and research issues. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999; 31(11 Suppl):S515-21. DOI: 10.1097/00005768-199911001-00005. View

20.

Morgen C, Rokholm B, Brixval C, Andersen C, Geisler Andersen L, Rasmussen M . Trends in prevalence of overweight and obesity in danish infants, children and adolescents--are we still on a plateau?. PLoS One. 2013; 8(7):e69860. PMC: 3722196. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069860. View