A study by the UK researchers revealed that the children born through caesarian are prone more for obesity in their later part of life compared to those borne naturally. 38000 births were analyzed to come to this conclusion. It was published in the journal PLOS One.
The UK researchers say that the fact should be revealed to women. The knowledge of it may decrease the number of unwanted and avoidable caesarian births.
But medical experts fail to see the connection between the caesarian birth and obesity in their later life. Previous research showed that caesarian born children are prone to asthma and other ailments.
Caesarian deliveries may be needed in some conditions but the long term effect of it also has to be taken into consideration, the researchers insist.
The reason can be as follows:
The stress of a natural birth may alter the activity of genes in the baby.
A vaginal birth exposes the baby to bacteria that colonise the gut, so differences in gut bacteria could in the future affect weight.
Another point that also cannot be ruled out is, obese women need caesarian treatment more to deliver and that also may be the reason for the obese found in their children later.
A researcher Neena Modi says, "There are good reasons why C-section may be the best option for many mothers and their babies, and C-sections can on occasion be life-saving. However, we need to understand the long-term outcomes in order to provide the best advice to women who are considering Caesarean delivery."
-SriJa
