Children exposed to multiple antibiotics at an early age were found to have suffered from increased bone growth, rapid weight gain and disruption of gut bacteria, a new study published in Nature Communications shows.
The study, conducted by researchers of New York University's Langone Medical Center, mimicked the use of antibiotics in children among infant laboratory mice.
For the study, a short regimen of common antibiotics such as amoxicillin and tylosin were given to young female mice, with researchers noting that while the antibiotics used in the study were not currently being given to children, they still belonged to the same class of antibiotics called macrolides.
The young mice received the same quantity of drugs at the same doses an average child would get during his or her first two years of life. There was also a control group composed of mice that were not given antibiotics.
The study found that the group that received antibiotics were found to have developed larger bones and gained more weight compared with the control group. Tylosin had the most pronounced effect on weight gain while amoxicillin significantly affected bone growth, according to the findings.
These suggest that early exposure to antibiotics can change the body's metabolism, leading to an increased risk for obesity.
The researchers also found that antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiome, the makeup of gut microorganisms, of the mice.
"They changed the ecology of the microbiome in terms of the richness of the organisms, the diversity, and also what we call the community structure, or the nature of its composition," said the study's author, Dr.Martin Blaser, in a report from Medical News Today.
However, researchers noted that the implications of the microbiome changes were unclear and they were still not certain whether gut microbiome alteration was associated with bone growth and increased weight gain.
Researchers said the study may demonstrate the antibiotic effects on children but was only limited to mice models. Nevertheless, the recent findings support previous studies that suggest the various health effects of antibiotics used in early childhood.
