Giving babies antibiotics may increase risk of them having food allergies
Babies prescribed antibiotics 1.21 times more likely to be diagnosed with food allergy. In other news: three days of high-intensity workouts could impair the immune system
Antibiotic treatment within the first year of life may wipe out more than an unwanted infection: exposure to the drugs is associated with an increase in food allergy diagnosis, new research from the University of South Carolina in the US suggests.
Analysing South Carolina Medicaid administrative data from 2007 to 2009, the researchers identified 1,504 cases of children with food allergies and 5,995 controls without food allergies. Taking into account factors including birth, breastfeeding, asthma, eczema, maternal age and urban residence, the researchers found that children prescribed antibiotics within the first year of life were 1.21 times more likely to be diagnosed with food allergy than children who hadn’t received an antibiotic prescription. The more antibiotic prescriptions a child received, the greater the odds of a food allergy diagnosis, increasing from 1.31 times greater risk with three prescriptions to 1.43 times with four prescriptions and 1.64 times with five or more prescriptions.
The study, published recently in the journal Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, builds upon previous studies that show normal gut flora is critical for developing the body’s tolerance to foreign proteins such as food. Antibiotics are known to alter the composition of gut flora.
The researchers found the strongest association between children who were prescribed cephalosporin and sulfonamide antibiotics, which are broad-spectrum therapies, compared with narrower spectrum agents such as penicillins and macrolides.
Lead researcher Bryan Love advises that prescribing medical professionals should be cautious before ordering antibiotics for young children – but notes that it can be difficult to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections. “We need better diagnostic tools to help identify kids who truly need antibiotics,” he says. “Overusing antibiotics invites more opportunity for side effects, including the potential development of food allergies, and can encourage antibacterial resistance.”