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Making your children do the household cleaning and other chores is definitely nothing uncommon, right? And neither is obesity in children. What is I told you that the both might have a possible connection between them? Shocking, isn’t it?
A new study (R) (R) published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal states that the commonly used household cleaning products could very well be a contributing reason behind obesity in children. According to the researchers across Canada, it is believed that the same is because of the change in the gut microbiota.
This study included the analysis of the gut flora of around 757 infants in between the age of 3-4 months and 1-3 years. The analysis was conducted for a time period of 3-4 months to trace any kind of excess exposure to disinfectants and other forms of household cleaning products used in the home cleaning process.
Following the analysis, the researchers got hold of all the data from the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) in the fecal matter of these infants. Simultaneously, they also used the similar data and aligned the same with the BMI index registered by the World Health Organisation growth charts.
The researchers found that the alterations in the gut microbiota in the babies in between the ages of 3-4 months were affected the most because of the usage of the disinfectants much like that of the multisurface cleaners and other cleaners.
Upon analyzing the microbiota of these children, the researchers found a lowered level of Haemophilus and Clostridium bacteria while there was a heightened level of Lachnospiraceae in the gut flora. They also found that the increase in the levels of Lachnospiraceae was primarily associated with the frequent cleaning with the disinfectants and not much with that of the detergents or even the eco-friendly cleaners.
Anita Kozyrskyj, the principal investigator on the SyMBIOTA project, an investigation into how alteration of the infant gut microbiome impacts health stated saying that there analysis led them to find for a fact that the infants living in the households with disinfectants being used either two times or more are more likely at the risk of being obese because of altered gut microbiota. This was not the same case with the children of same age group who were not necessarily exposed to similar conditions.
In comparison to the normal disinfectants, the usage of eco-friendly cleaners had a completely different impact on the gut flora and was not likely to be on the risk of being overweight and obese as compared to the ones who were consistently exposed to the same.
Kozyrskyj further stated that the kids who are growing up in such conditions with the inclusion of eco-friendly cleaning products have a lowered level of Enterobacteriaceae. But, the thing about this is the fact that the researchers don’t have any definitive proof considering the connection between these two.
According to her, there could be possibilities of such households using eco-friendly cleaners to have a well maintained and healthier diet which could very well be a contributing factor to the healthier gut microbiome of the infant and thus, the properly maintained weight of the kid.
The main goal of the study was to source and showcase a novel information regarding the possible connection between the impacts of these disinfectant cleaners on the gut flora of the kids and inadvertently with the risks of obesity in children.
Dr. Noel Mueller and Moira Differding, who are epidemiologists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health further emphasised stating that the persistent and early-life exposure to the disinfectants have the capability of increasing the risks of obesity in the infants mainly because of the alterations in the bacteria within the Lachnospiraceae family.
They are in the lookout for further studies regarding this same topic to source any possible links concerning the possibility of the household cleaning products and its contribution to the complex causes of obesity through several of the microbially mediated mechanisms.
To this Dr. Kozyrskyj stated saying that she agrees to this and that it needs further in-depth research to understand the compounds in the disinfectants that are causing the alterations. She further stated saying that the primary set back that they experienced was because of the fact that they couldn’t individually assess all the ingredients in these household cleaners.
Will there be further studies concerning this? The answers are still not surely answered. But, whether or not the consistent usage of disinfectants in the houses can possibly trigger obesity in children or not is a question that still needs a clear and well researched answer to be able to further proceed with the conclusions concerning the same.
