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- Scientists gave low doses of penicillin to mice for first month of life.
- Found that those given drug were more likely to become obese as adults.
- Believe medication destroyed gut bacteria which reprogrammed metabolism.
Children given antibiotics such as penicillin during the early stages of life could be likely more to become obese later on, a new study has suggested.
Researchers found that mice given low doses of penicillin as babies developed slower metabolisms, and were therefore more likely to become obese as they got older.
Scientists believe this is because the antibiotics disrupted levels of key bacteria in the gut, leading to the body's metabolism reprogramming itself.
Dr. Martin Blaser, director of the NYU Human Microbiome Program, and senior author of the study, said: 'We found that when you perturb gut microbes early in life among mice and then stop the antibiotics, the microbes normalize but the effects on host metabolism are permanent.
'This supports the idea of a developmental window in which microbes participate. It's a novel concept, and we're providing direct evidence for it.'
The findings support and earlier study which showed children given antibiotics before six months of age were more likely to be overweight as seven-year-olds.
Mr Blaser told The Guardian: 'If a kid is ill, there is no question that they should get antibiotics, but if it's marginal perhaps the doctor should be saying "let's wait a day or two" before taking another look.
'Doctors give out antibiotics thinking they won't do any harm, but this provides evidence that they might.'
Doctors found that mice given low doses of penicillin for their first month of life, a key development period, were 25 per cent heavier and had 60 per cent more fat than mice who went without.
The average human body contains about 100 trillion microbes living on the skin and in the gut, often called the 'microbiome'.
This study showed that disrupting that microbiome in the early stages of life can cause long-term changes in how the body develops.
The study also showed that male mice were more prone to weight gain than females, but had no explanation for this.
Scientists are now looking at whether administering 'good microbes' after a does of antibiotics could restore the gut bacteria before any long-term changes take place.
They will also investigate whether short courses of antibiotics have a similar effect.
Doctors found that mice given low doses of penicillin for their first month of life, a key development period, were 25 per cent heavier and had 60 per cent more fat than mice who went without.
The average human body contains about 100 trillion microbes living on the skin and in the gut, often called the 'microbiome'.
This study showed that disrupting that microbiome in the early stages of life can cause long-term changes in how the body develops.
The study also showed that male mice were more prone to weight gain than females, but had no explanation for this.
Scientists are now looking at whether administering 'good microbes' after a does of antibiotics could restore the gut bacteria before any long-term changes take place.
They will also investigate whether short courses of antibiotics have a similar effect.
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