Bacteria in meconium may be predictor of obesity

2020 07 08 20 47 6822 Baby Yawn 400

Types of normal bacteria found in the meconium, the earliest stool of an infant, may predict the child's likelihood of later developing obesity, according to a new study published July 8 in Pediatric Obesity.

Children who became overweight at age three had a different meconium bacterial makeup than those toddlers of normal weight, according to the study of 212 newborns. For the overweight children, 29% of the bacteria was in the Bacteroidetes phylum, while for those of average weight the proportion was 15%.

Many prenatal factors affect the microbial composition of the baby's first stool, including the mother's use of antibiotics and biodiversity of the home environment during pregnancy, according to the authors.

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