The Possible Contribution of being Born by Cesarean Section to Developing Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Later Life

C‐section increases cecal abundance of the archetypal bile acid and glucocorticoid modifying Lachnoclostridium [clostridium] scindens in mice

“…Other data point to potential links between birth mode and body composition: One study reported two‐fold higher risk for adolescent obesity in children born by C‐section in the United Kingdom (Blustein et al, 2013 ). As recently reviewed by Faúndes et al ( 2021 ), most but not all studies have demonstrated modestly higher odds for childhood or young adult obesity in C‐section offspring. A large systemic review and meta‐analysis found that children delivered by C‐section had higher risk for developing respiratory tract infections, obesity, and manifestations of asthma significantly compared to children delivered vaginally, but there were inconclusive results regarding the risk of developing diabetes mellitus type 1 or neurological disorders (Slabuszewska‐Jozwiak et al, 2020 ).…”

“…The underlying mechanisms that could lead to differential physiological outcomes in C‐section compared to natural birth offspring are still unknown. We have hypothesized that innate differences in gut microbiota are involved in brain differences (Deoni et al, 2019 ), and it has also been speculated that the gut microbiome contributes to C‐section‐associated risks for obesity (Faundes et al, 2021 ) and asthma (Stokholm et al, 2020 ).…”