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Caesarean Babies More Likely to Become Obese Adults, Research Finds

A recent study shows the significant connection of C-section delivery to children who become obese adults

A study published by JAMA Pediatrics suggests that there is an association between risks of obesity and the way we are born. The research was released Tuesday.

Scientists found out that babies born via C-Section have a 15 percent higher tendency of becoming obese as they grow old compared to babies delivered normally.

This recent research says that babies born by caesarean miss the bacteria exposure which can be acquired from the mother's vaginal canal.

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An earlier study regarding this linkage has been released in 2012 by the Archives of Disease in Childhood. However, this study did not include research on the mother's health and weight.

A total of 22,068 children were included in the latest study along with 15,271 mothers who conceived them. The researchers did this sampling to learn the link of the mother's health and weight to their babies.

The Gut Bacteria

According to Epidemiologist Audrey Gaskins of the Harvard University, these babies fail to benefit from the gut bacteria. The microbes are linked to the increased ability of the baby to harvest energy through the "gut microbiota". This means that those children who miss out on these important microorganisms will have slower metabolism.

64% of the babies who were born via C-section have heavier weight records than their siblings who were born by normal delivery.

Doctor Gaskins added that babies born under the same mother and lives under the same environment have similar genetics and are thriving through a controllable diet.

Scientists who did the research admit that they have not measured the gut bacteria of each participant. For one, babies can also acquire the gut bacteria from breastfeeding and this may shield babies from growing into obese adults.

It took 20 years for the researchers to release the findings. Throughout these years, they constantly monitored the children's weight through surveys. Results say that babies born by caesarean were heavier by 0.3 BMI points in average.

Some Scientists Disagree

Biomedical scientist Simon Cork from the Imperial College London contests these recent findings  and said that the link between obesity and caesarean delivery is still not "fully proven nor understood". He added that delivering babies through C-section is not voluntarily chosen by mothers as it is a result of medical need.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Spokeswoman, Doctor Daghni Rajasingam, agrees to this notion. She expressed that C-section deliveries are carried out to save the lives of the babies and the mothers. Doctor Rajasingam also notes the rise of women having difficulty in giving birth due to old age and obesity in recent years.

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