Can the obesity epidemic be linked to the rising rates of surgical deliveries? A study, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, found that babies born by caesarean section are at double the risk of becoming obese children as those delivered naturally.

For the study, researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital examined 1,225 mother and child pairs over three years, weighing them and measuring the babies’ body fat. One in four of the deliveries was by caesarean. After taking into account obesity in the mother and other factors, they found almost 16% of children delivered by caesarean were obese by the age of three compared with 7.5% born naturally.

While the researchers didn't define the reasons for this trend, they concluded that since infants born surgically are not exposed to beneficial bacteria, and therefore their bodies take longer to accumulate good bugs that boost the body’s metabolism.

via Press TV