Antibiotic prescriptions for children and risk of lifelong metabolic disturbances

Usage of Antibiotics to Treat Children

antibiotic-in-child image
Antibiotic exposure during a critical window of early development disrupts the bacterial landscape of the gut and permanently reprograms the body’s metabolism, setting up a predisposition for obesity. Image by developachild.

An August 2014 study suggested that antibiotic exposure during a critical window of early development disrupts the bacterial landscape of the gut, home to trillions of diverse microbes, and permanently reprograms the body’s metabolism, setting up a predisposition to obesity. Moreover, the study shows that it is altered gut bacteria, rather than the antibiotics, driving the metabolic effects.

A June 2015 animal study by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers adds to growing evidence that multiple courses of commonly used antibiotics may have a significant impact on children’s development.

Sources and more information
  • Repeated courses of antibiotics may profoundly alter children’s development, medicalxpress, June 30, 2015.
  • Metabolic and metagenomic outcomes from early-life pulsed antibiotic treatment, nature doi:10.1038/ncomms8486. 30 June 2015.
  • Early antibiotic exposure leads to lifelong metabolic disturbances in mice, medicalxpress, August 14, 2014.
  • Altering the Intestinal Microbiota during a Critical Developmental Window Has Lasting Metabolic Consequences, cell doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.052, 14 August 2014.

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