Babies who were born via cesarean are reportedly more likely to become victim to obesity according to Reuters Health.
"With C-sections, there may be long-term consequences to children that we don't know about," said Dr. Jan Blustein, leader of the new study at the New York University School of Medicine.
With an increase in women giving birth through cesarean, complications for the mother and child's health during delivery have always been the main concern for physicians. Researchers compared the weight of vaginally-born babies to cesarean-born babies born in 1991 and 1992 in the UK, and discovered that 83 percent were "more likely to be overweight or obese than their vaginally-born peers."
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "c-sections accounted for almost 1 in 3 births in 2010, up from 1 in 5 in 1996."
"The obesity risk for kids is not great and shouldn't come into play for women who need a C-section for medical reasons," Blustein said.
Although the research presented an interesting yet minuscule revelation, Dr. Blustein feels expecting mothers should know all risk associated with the procedure.
Outside factors like family history and the baby's diet have been considered.
"Generally, the early colonization and establishment of the intestine with bacteria seems very important," said Teresa Ajslev of the Institute of Prevention Medicine. "Yet, much more work is needed before we can explain the mechanisms of the early bacterial colonization."
Ajslev said his team believe exposure to bacteria may play a role early childhood obesity.
Researchers plan on revisiting the topic and urge others to stay tuned.
"This certainly is not the last word," Blustein said.
