TITLE:
Selective Association between Cephalosporin, Quinolone, Macrolide, and Penicillin Antibiotic Consumption and Childhood Obesity in Europe
AUTHORS:
Gabor Ternak, Zs Edel, Zs Feiszt, J. Szekeres, B. Visegrady, I. Wittmann
KEYWORDS:
Antibiotic Consumption, Cephalosporin, Quinolone, Macrolide, Penicillin, Childhood Obesity, Adult Obesity
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.7 No.10,
October
20,
2015
ABSTRACT: The accelerated weight gain in productive animals as a result of feeding antibiotic enriched fodder has been well known for decades. The better energy harvest is the result of modified gut microbiota as a consequence of applied antibiotics. Similar mechanisms might result obesity in humans as well. Objectives: Finding associations between global antibiotic consumption of different classes in EU countries and obesity data in adults and children prove that antibiotics might play a significant role in the development of obesity “epidemics” and related illnesses. Methods: Antibiotic consumption data were compared with obesity figures in adults and children in European countries and statistically analyzed for significance. Results: Significant correlation was found between the average yearly consumption of cephalosporins (p = 0.007), quinolones (p = 0.031), macrolides (p = 0.000083) and childhood obesity data, but no significant association was observed with the average penicillin consumption. No association was observed between adult obesity and any of the antibiotic classes studied. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that different types of antibiotics might influence the development of obesity among children, and this finding can serve as a unified explanation for the development of obesity “epidemics”, similarly to the obesity and gut flora alteration-related diseases (type 2 diabetes mellitus, autism, etc.).