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Infant antibiotic exposures and early-life body mass

L Trasande1, J Blustein, M Liu

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. Leonardo.trasande@nyumc.org

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|August 22, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Early antibiotic exposure in infants is linked to increased body mass. While effects are modest individually, they may impact population health, warranting further research into long-term consequences.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Environmental Medicine

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Antibiotic use in early life is common.
  • Understanding factors influencing body mass development is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between antibiotic exposure in the first two years of life and body mass development up to age seven.
  • To analyze specific time windows of antibiotic exposure and their impact on body mass indices.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal birth cohort study of 11,532 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
  • Antibiotic exposures were assessed in three windows: <6 months, 6-14 months, and 15-23 months.
  • Body mass indices (weight-for-length Z-scores, BMI Z-scores) were measured at multiple time points from infancy to seven years.

Main Results:

  • Antibiotic exposure before six months was consistently associated with increased body mass (weight-for-length Z-scores, BMI Z-scores) from 10 to 38 months.
  • Exposure between 6-14 months showed no significant association with body mass.
  • Exposure between 15-23 months was linked to a higher BMI Z-score at seven years.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotic exposure within the first six months of life is associated with sustained increases in body mass during early childhood.
  • Later infant antibiotic exposures did not show consistent associations with body mass development.
  • The findings suggest potential long-term implications for population health and highlight the need for further research on early-life exposures and obesity risks.
Abstract

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