Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment
08:33

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Analyses of Murine Intestinal Microbiota After Oral Antibiotic Treatment

Published on: November 17, 2018

Antibiotics, gut microbiome and obesity

Karen S W Leong1, José G B Derraik1,2,3, Paul L Hofman1

  • 1Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Clinical Endocrinology
|October 13, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotics may contribute to obesity by disrupting the gut microbiome. While animal studies show a link, human evidence is inconclusive, requiring more research on antibiotic effects and obesity development.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Human Health
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Antibiotics have significantly reduced infectious disease mortality.
  • Increasing antibiotic use raises concerns about resistance and long-term health effects, including obesity.
  • The gut microbiome is implicated in various chronic conditions, including obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the association between antibiotic use and obesity.
  • To explore the role of the gut microbiome in this relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on studies examining antibiotics, gut microbiome, and obesity.
  • Analysis of evidence from animal models and human clinical trials.

Main Results:

  • Strong evidence links antibiotic use to obesity development in animal models.
  • Human studies show an association, but the evidence remains inconclusive.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotics may play a role in obesity development, potentially via gut microbiome disruption.
  • Further well-designed clinical trials are necessary to confirm the link between antibiotics and human obesity.
Keywords:
animal modelsantibioticsbacteriachildhoodgut microbiomeobesity

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