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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Antibiotic exposure and risk of overweight/obesity in school children: A multicenter, case-control study from China
Juan Li1, Bin Wang2, Shijian Liu3
1Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China.
Insights
Antibiotic exposure, particularly from veterinary sources via food and water, is linked to increased childhood adipogenesis. This study found higher veterinary antibiotic levels in overweight children, suggesting a potential risk factor for obesity.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Antibiotic use in early life is linked to adipogenesis.
- The impact of diverse antibiotic exposure routes on childhood adiposity remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between urinary antibiotic biomarkers and the risk of adipogenesis in school-aged children.
- To explore the relationship between exposure to various antibiotic classes and childhood overweight/obesity.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 410 overweight/obese children and 410 controls (aged 6-9 years) in China.
- Measurement of 45 urinary antibiotics from 8 categories using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
- Conditional logistic regression analysis to determine odds ratios for overweight/obesity.
Main Results:
- 32 antibiotics were detected in 92.93% of urine samples.
- Overweight/obese children exhibited higher levels of veterinary antibiotics.
- Elevated florfenicol and phenicol levels were associated with increased overweight/obesity risk, particularly in boys.
Conclusions:
- Veterinary antibiotic exposure, likely from food/water, is associated with increased adipogenesis risk in children.
- Further research is required to validate these findings and elucidate the mechanisms involved.
Background:
Although the use of antibiotics during early life has been associated with increased risk of adipogenesis, effect of antibiotic exposure from various sources, including food or drinking water, on adiposity in children is largely unknown.
Objective:
To investigate associations between urinary biomarkers of multiple antibiotics and risk of adipogenesis in school children.
Methods:
This case-control study recruited 410 overweight/obese school children aged 6-9 years and 410 controls from Shandong and Guangdong Province, China, matched on sex, age and school. Diagnosis of overweight and obesity was based on body mass index-based criteria derived from national data. Urinary concentrations of 45 antibiotics from 8 categories (macrolides, β-lactams, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, phenicols, lincosamides, and quinoxalines), including 6 human antibiotics (HAs), 6 antibiotics preferred as HAs (PHAs), 16 veterinary antibiotics (VAs), and 17 antibiotics preferred as VA (PVAs), were measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to assess odds ratios (ORs) of childhood overweight/obesity in relation to urinary antibiotic concentrations.
Results:
A total of 32 antibiotics were found in urine samples with an overall detection frequency of 92.93 %. Children with overweight/obesity have higher veterinary antibiotic levels than those with normal weight. Compared with undetected levels of antibiotics, the multivariable-adjusted ORs (95 % confidence interval) of overweight/obesity for high levels of antibiotics divided according to median values were 1.63 (1.02, 2.62) for florfenicol, 1.62 (1.04, 2.54) for phenicols, and 1.41 (0.97, 2.04) for sum of VAs and PVAs. These associations predominantly existed in boys and remained significant in florfenicol after FDR multiple testing correction (FDR adjusted p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Exposure to certain antibiotic for veterinary use mainly from food or drinking water was associated with an increased risk of adipogenesis in children. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings and clarify the underlying mechanisms.
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