Early antibiotic use 'may predispose children to weight gain and asthma'

University of Helsinki study says use of antibiotics in early years 'may have long-term effects on the metabolic and immunological health of the child'

The use of antibiotics in young children may alter the natural populations of gut microbes in a way that leaves them predisposed to weight gain and asthma in later childhood, according to new research.

The study of 236 children aged between two and seven, with a median age of five, backs earlier research on mice and children indicating the negative consequences of early antibiotic use. Antibiotics are the most commonly used drugs in childhood populations of western countries.