A new study has found that babies who are born via c-section are more likely to be obese than those who were born naturally.
According to researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in the US, C-section babies are 15 per cent more likely to suffer from obesity later in life.
Australia currently has one of the highest rates of caesarean births in the world. A decade ago, c-sections accounted for around 20 per cent of births. Nowadays the figure is more than 32 per cent. That’s over a third of all births.
Using data collected from over 16 years, researchers looked at the statistics of 22,000 young adults. The findings were published in Jama Paediatrics, and show that young people who were born by c-section were 64 per cent more likely to be obese than siblings who came in to the world via a normal vaginal birth.
Research author and Associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Jorge Chavarro, told News.com.au: “Caesarean deliveries are without a doubt a necessary and lifesaving procedure in many cases.”
Image: iStock
"But caesarean also have some known risks to the mother and the newborn. Our findings show that risk of obesity in the offspring could be another factor to consider."
"I think that our findings - particularly those that show a dramatic difference in obesity risk between those born via caesarean and their siblings born through vaginal delivery - provide very compelling evidence that the association between caesarean birth and childhood obesity is real."
He continued to say: "In the case of siblings, many of the factors that could potentially be playing a role in obesity risk, including genetics, would be largely the same for each sibling - except for the type of delivery."
Top Comments
Lol, both my siblings were c-sections and I was natural - they both have been healthy weights their entire lives while I have been obese since the age of 6. Ridiculous 😂
Scientific results and logic, who needs them when you have siblings!
All good info but, the question I want to know is WHY?
It makes sense that C-section babies in general are more likely to be obese, because of the genetics and lifestyle of the mother (as we know, obese women are far more likely to have C-sections than healthy women). But having a greater likelihood of obesity compared to vaginal birth babies from the same mother... that's bizarre.
Does anyone have any ideas WHY this would be the case?
I think it is about bacteria transfer that occurs during vaginal birth. I wrote a term being researched and it was censored. Don't know why. Bacteria in our gut is essential, it has been linked to allergies etc.
I think they need more information in this study as to the reason for the c-section. I guess the two causes are either 1. It's something to do with the birthing process or 2. There is an underlying factor which causes both the c-section and the childhood obesity.
Given the difference is only 1.15% increased chance of obesity maybe it is an underlying factor? I know women who suffer gestational diabetes are more likely to have a c-section but also more likely to have babies that go on to suffer childhood obesity.