Babies given antibiotics in the first six months of life are more likely to be fat as toddlers , a large-scale study has found . The researchers said say that just as antibiotics are used to make farm animals put on weight , the may also be fattening our children . Writing in the respected medical journal Pediatrics , they said that the widely-prescribed drugs could be contributing to the obesity epidemic . A third of 10-11 year olds and more than a fifth of 4-5 year olds in England are overweight or obese , leading to fears that today 's generation will be the first to die at an earlier age than their parents . Obesity : Babies given antibiotics in the first six months of life are more likely to be fat as toddlers , a large-scale study has found ( file photo ) The Finnish researchers compared the weight and height of more than 12,000 healthy two year old with records on antibiotic prescription . By two years-old , one in five boys and one in ten girls was overweight or obese . And children who had taken antibiotics as young babies were particularly likely to be overweight . Repeated prescriptions before the age of two also raised the odds of being a fat toddler . Boys seemed particularly prone weight gain after being given antibiotics . They were also slightly taller than boys who had n't been given the drugs . The study did n't prove that antibiotics were causing weight gain . But if they do , it may be because they kill of bugs in the gut that would normally feed on some of the food eaten . This frees up more food for the body . Killing certain gut bugs may also increase appetite . Lead author Dr Antti Saari , of Kuopio University Hospital , warned : 'Antibiotic exposure before six months of age , or repeatedly during infancy , was associated with increased body mass in healthy children . 'Such effects may play a role in the worldwide childhood obesity epidemic and highlight the importance of judicious use of antibiotics in infancy . The worldwide obesity epidemic is real , and is more pronounced for boys . 'Epidemic ' : By two years-old , one in five boys and one in ten girls was overweight or obese and children who had taken antibiotics as young babies were particularly likely to be overweight ( file photo ) 'An increase in the use of antibiotics could be an additional contributing factor to the development of excess weight problems . 'The crucial role of antibiotics in the improvement of human health is unquestionable but their extended use today has undesirable and unexpected consequences . ' Previous research has found that babies given antibiotics are at higher risk of eczema and digestive problems . The studies come amid growing concern that the over-prescription of antibiotics is leading to the pills losing their power and making common infections harder to treat . The Government has warned that a new superbug could infect up to 200,000 Britons and kill 80,000 in a single outbreak .
Researchers claimed antibiotics could be contributing to 'obesity epidemic ' Their large-scale study was published in the respected Kuopio University Hospital . It found one third of 10 to 11-year-olds in England are overweight or obese . Children who took antibiotics as babies were more likely to be overweight .