A new study reports that antibiotic use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk for obesity in the child.
Researchers studied 436 mothers and their children from birth until age 7, gathering data on antibiotic use from interviews. After controlling for gestational age, birth weight, breast-feeding, maternal body mass index and socioeconomic status, among other variables, they found that antibiotic use during the second and third trimesters was associated with an 84 percent increased risk for obesity in the child.