Recently, Western publications published a series of scientific articles in which scientists talked about the negative aspects of mass antibiotic use, as reported by the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net Now on the pages of JAMA Pediatrics the results of the study were published which showed: the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in children younger than 2 years is associated with the risk of childhood obesity.
To date, 1 in 3 children and adolescents in the US either has an overweight body, or is obese.
Moreover, obesity can no longer be called a consequence of long-term unhealthy behavior - by the age of 24 months, 10% of American children already suffer from this disease.
Factors that affect the risk of childhood obesity include the mother's body mass index before pregnancy, the composition of the diet, physical activity, the duration of sleep, the time before the TV, and others.. But now the researchers began to consider the influence of colonies of microorganisms that live in the intestines of the child.
Since the birth of the colonization of the intestines of the child begins with various bacteria. The latest data tell us that the composition of the intestinal microflora can affect metabolism, immune defense, and even the growth of a child.
Some studies have shown that the effects of antibiotics affect the biological diversity and composition of the intestinal microflora. Considering these facts, the staff of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) in Pennsylvania decided to study the influence of antibiotics on the risk of childhood obesity.
The authors analyzed electronic medical records from a network of private clinics that covered the period from 2001 to 2013. A total of 64,580 children were enrolled in the analysis, which the doctors examined every year from birth to 24-58 months. Scientists observed these children under 5 years old.
About 69% of children under 2 years of age at least once received antibiotics - an average of 2.3 episodes in two years of life. The authors concluded that these children are at increased risk of developing obesity, especially when antibiotics were prescribed 4 or more times.
However, the researchers did not find a connection between obesity and antibiotics of a narrow spectrum of action, which are intended only to control certain types of bacteria. As you know, such drugs least damage the intestinal microflora. But for broad-spectrum antibiotics, the link with childhood obesity was evident.
The frequency of obesity and overweight in the group under consideration was:.
• At 2 years: 10% obese and 23% overweight.
• At 3 years: 14% obese and 30% with overweight.
• At 4 years: 15% obese and 33% with overweight.
One co-author of the study writes: "Since obesity is a multifactorial state, the reduction in risk depends on the identification and control of multiple risk factors, the impact of which on the individual may be small but important. Our results suggest that the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the first 24 months of life can be one of such factors. This proves that the existing recommendations for pediatricians that limit the use of antibiotics are correct.
It is desirable to use antibiotics of a narrow spectrum of action and to avoid these drugs in the absence of clear indications. "Last week, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published another interesting study. Its authors claim that in 1 out of 10 cases the appointment of antibiotics is useless. Scientists say that over the past twenty years the percentage of such cases has increased due to unjustified prescription of antibiotics and resistance growth, and this trend persists.
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