A cesarean delivery increases the risk of obesity in children, according to a new study.
- 20% of deliveries are by cesarean in France.
- Researchers have found a link between this operation and childhood obesity.
- Further work is needed to understand the mechanisms involved in this correlation.
In France, about 20% of births are by caesarean section. This surgical intervention occurs when a natural delivery represents a risk for the mother, the baby or both. Researchers from the University of Toyama have highlighted a long-term effect of this operation. Children born by caesarean section are at increased risk of childhood obesity.
Caesarean section and childhood obesity are linked
Scientists took the records of 60,769 mother-child pairs who participated in a large Japanese national study. The obesity of the small participants was determined based on their body mass index (BMI) at the age of 3 years. Data on multiple births, children who died at birth and miscarriages were excluded from the analyses.
The results show that 11,241 babies (18.5%) were born by caesarean section and that 4,912 (8.1%) were obese. In addition, the prevalence of obesity was higher among toddlers born by caesarean section than among the naturally born group.
“This correlation was maintained, even after adjusting for the many confounding factors that influence the organism in childhood (age of the mother, illnesses, socio-economic status of the family, tobacco/alcohol exposure… Editor’s note In addition, our study included a very large number of participants and had sufficient statistical power to assess the correlation.”write the authors in their article published in the journal Scientific ReportsApril 21, 2023.
Caesarean section and weight: further research needed
For the researchers, their work confirms that “mode of delivery affects metabolic physiology and subsequent childhood obesity, even in ethnic groups less prone to obesity” children.
However, they acknowledge that further research is needed to determine the mechanisms underlying the observed link between C-sections and child weight. They would also like to achieve “identify long-term implications for metabolic and cardiovascular health”.
