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Sex-specific associations between prenatal antibiotics exposure and offspring's body mass index

Mingzhu Lin1,2,3,4, Haiqu Song1,2,3,4, Wei Liu1,2

  • 1Xiamen Diabetes Institute, Xiamen, China.

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|June 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal antibiotic exposure is linked to higher childhood obesity in girls but not boys. This sex-specific association suggests differing developmental programming impacts based on sex.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Pediatric Obesity
  • Developmental Programming

Background:

  • Emerging evidence suggests sex-specific sensitivities to the intrauterine environment.
  • Prenatal exposures may influence the developmental programming of obesity.
  • The impact of prenatal factors on offspring body mass index (BMI) can vary by sex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the sex-specific association between prenatal antibiotic exposure and offspring BMI.
  • To assess BMI in children from 1 to 4 years of age in relation to maternal antibiotic use during pregnancy.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 10,163 mother-child pairs from the Medical Birth Registry in Xiamen, China.
  • Prenatal antibiotic exposure data obtained from a prescription database.
  • Offspring BMI Z-scores analyzed from ages 1 to 4 years, with adjustments for confounders.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal antibiotic exposure was associated with significantly different BMI Z-scores in female and male offspring (P interaction < 0.05 at ages 1-4).
  • Female offspring exposed to prenatal antibiotics showed higher BMI Z-scores from 1 to 4 years (e.g., +0.11 at age 1).
  • No significant association between prenatal antibiotic exposure and offspring BMI Z-scores was observed in male offspring.

Conclusions:

  • The association between prenatal antibiotic exposure and offspring BMI Z-scores from 1 to 4 years appears to be sex-specific.
  • Prenatal antibiotic exposure may contribute to increased obesity risk in female offspring through developmental programming.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms behind sex-specific effects.
Abstract

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