Increased weight gain by C-section: Functional significance of the primordial microbiome.

Epidemiological evidence supports a direct association between early microbiota impact -including C-section birthing- and obesity. Here we performed antibiotic-free C-sections with fostering in mice, and followed the early microbiota structure and body weight development. C-section born mice gained 33% more body mass post-weaning than did their vaginally born counterparts. The microbiota structure was different and lacked the dynamic developmental changes observed in normal mice. The results demonstrate a causal relationship between C-section and obesity, supporting the involvement of maternal vaginal bacteria in normal offspring metabolic development.

流行病学证据表明，早期微生物组（microbiota）相关影响——涵盖剖宫产分娩——与肥胖之间存在直接关联。本研究在小鼠模型中开展了无抗生素剖宫产手术，并对其早期微生物组结构与体重发育情况进行了追踪监测。结果显示，剖宫产出生的小鼠在断奶后的体质量增幅较阴道分娩的同窝对照小鼠高出33%。剖宫产组小鼠的微生物组结构存在显著差异，且未出现正常小鼠中观察到的动态发育变化。本研究结果证实了剖宫产与肥胖之间存在因果关联，支持母体阴道菌群参与子代正常代谢发育这一结论。