The research methods in the studies reviewed improved in sophistication and clarity over time from 2011 to 2016. Three of the studies determined that antibiotics resulted in a risk for increased BMI in boys but not in girls (Ajslev et al., 2011; Azad et al., 2014; Murphy, et al., 2014). In general, repeated exposures to antibiotics (Saari et al., 2015; Schwartz et al., 2016; Scott et al., 2016) or broad-spectrum antibiotics (Bailey et al., 2014), in particular macrolides (Saari et al., 2015), were found to be associated with an increase in BMI.
Strengths and Limitations
Most of the research reviewed controlled for potential confounders on the effect of antibiotics on BMI: mode of delivery, maternal pre-pregnancy weight, maternal …show more content…
The human microbiome is diverse, complex, and highly individual. Among many functions, gut microbiota are involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism (Munyaka et al., 2014; Principi & Esposito, 2016) and substantial research is ongoing in this area (Matamoros et al., 2013). It is reasonable to consider frequent antibiotic exposure in children a possible contributor to obesity, among many other …show more content…
on reversible, persistent, and progressive effects of antibiotics is worthy of replication in other geographic locations with diverse racial and ethnic populations. The three studies in the U.S. have been done in the Mid-Atlantic States (PA, NJ, DE) and sampled only a small number of Hispanics. The prevalence of obesity among Hispanic children in the U.S. is 22.4%, much higher than the overall rate of 16.9% (CDC, 2015a). Hispanics view antibiotics differently than non-Hispanics. For example, Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanics to believe that antibiotics will help them recover from a cold (48% compared with 25%) (CDC, 2015c). It would be worthwhile to examine what role antibiotics may have in overweight and obesity of Hispanic children. Collection of continuous prescription data during a child’s life would be desirable, but this may be difficult in the absence of a national health care system. Reducing the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, and related racial/ethnic health disparities, depends on identification of modifiable risk factors (Bailey et al., 2014; Woo Baidal et al.,