Babies born by caesarean section are more likely to go on to become overweight or obese during adulthood, new research suggests.

UK scientists analysed 15 relevant studies involving over 38,000 people and found that those born via caesarean are 26% more likely to be overweight or obese later in life compared to those born vaginally.

Currently in Ireland, at least one in four births are via caesarean, however the scientists from Imperial College London (ICL) noted that in some countries, the rate is significantly higher. For example, almost 50% of women in Brazil and 60% of women in China have caesareans.

They acknowledged that while many women have caesareans for good reasons, they believe that those who elect to have one should be aware of the potential long-term consequences for the health of their children.

"There are good reasons why C-section may be the best option for many mothers and their babies, and C-sections can on occasion be life-saving. However, we need to understand the long-term outcomes in order to provide the best advice to women who are considering caesarean delivery," commented the study's senior author, Prof Neena Modi, of ICL.

She said that more research needs to be done to determine whether this finding is the result of a C-section, or if there are other reasons for it.

According to one of the research team, Dr Matthew Hyde, there are ‘plausible mechanisms by which caesarean delivery might influence later body weight'.

"The types of healthy bacteria in the gut differ in babies born by caesarean and vaginal delivery, which can have broad effects on health. Also, the compression of the baby during vaginal birth appears to influence which genes are switched on, and this could have a long-term effect on metabolism," he noted.

Details of these findings are published in the journal PLOS ONE.

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