Commonly used cleaning products can contribute to weight gain in children. How it’s possible? Researchers in Canada have found that toddlers’ gut microflora is adversely affected by inhaling or touching these foods. Meanwhile, imbalances in the human microbiome have a huge impact on the occurrence of many diseases, including obesity.
Based on the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study, Canadian researchers analyzed the gut flora of 757 infants aged three to four months and their weight at one and three years of age. They also observed exposure to disinfectants, detergents and eco-friendly household cleaning products. The weight of the children was compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) body mass index (BMI) percentile grids.
Changes in the intestinal flora of a few-month-old child (less Haemophilus and Clostridium bacteria, but more Lachnospiraceae) were most associated with frequent household use of disinfectants (both cleaning agents and baby wipes impregnated with bactericides).
Over 80 percent Canadian households use cleaning agents containing disinfectants at least once a week. They most likely reach the body of children in the form of an aerosol or by touching the surfaces on which they have settled (in the case of disinfecting wipes – by direct contact with the skin).
Researchers observed an increase in the number of Lachnospiraceae bacteria with more frequent cleaning with disinfectants. A similar relationship was not found for environmentally friendly detergents or cleaners.
Also, studies on piglets showed similar changes in the microbiome as in children after exposure to aerosol disinfectants.
They found that children aged three to four months living in households where disinfectants were used at least once a week were twice as likely to have higher levels of Lachnospiracea gut microbes. But when they were three years old, their body mass index was higher than that of children who, as infants, were not exposed to intensive disinfectant contact, said Dr. baby health.
Babies living in households that used organic cleaners had a different microflora (significantly lower levels of Enterobacteriaceae) and were less likely to be overweight as children. However, there is no evidence that changes in the microbiome will reduce the risk of obesity. The use of environmentally friendly products can be associated with a healthier overall maternal lifestyle and dietary habits, contributing to a ‘healthier’ gut microbiome and closer to the normal body weight values of their infants.