Overweight mothers having a C-Section more likely to have obese children

Finding the causes of obesity shows no signs of letting up, with new research this week finding babies born by caesarean section may double their risk of childhood obesity.

Research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, examined 1,255 mother and child pairs from the USA between 1999 and 2002.

A total of 284 deliveries had been by caesarean, with the mothers tending to weigh more than those having a vaginal delivery.

The birth weight of the babies tended to be higher, and the mothers also breastfed their babies for a shorter amount of time.

By the time a child was three years of age, this kind of delivery was twice as likely to lead to a child becoming obese.

Around 16 per cent of children delivered by c-section were obese compared to 7.5 per cent of those born vaginally.

The authors say a possible explanation for this is that obese mothers have higher levels of a gut bacteria affecting insulin resistance in the unborn child.