B2766 - Does the interruption of the maternal microbiota exposure through cesarean birthing contribute to the development of obesity in - 03/05/2017

B number: 
B2766
Principal applicant name: 
Isabel Murillo |
Co-applicants: 
Dr David Lee, Ms Aneeqa Ahmed
Title of project: 
Does the interruption of the maternal microbiota exposure through cesarean birthing contribute to the development of obesity in
Proposal summary: 

Early interaction between newborn babies and microbes from the mother is essential for healthy immune development. It has been reported that the way in which the baby is born can result in differences in the composition of the microbes that establish themselves in new-borns (Dominguez-Bello et al., 2010; Goedert, 2014). For example, the rate of caesarean (C-section) delivery is increasing worldwide and epidemiological studies report an association between C-section delivery and an increased risk of obesity, asthma, allergies and immune deficiencies (Thavagnanam , 2008; Mueller, 2014; Pistiner, 2008; Round and Mazmanian, 2009; Li, 2013). These findings have led to investigations into how caesarean-born babies respond to the missing vaginal microbiota being replaced artificially (Dominguez-Bello, 2016). We want to study if there is a direct relationship between delivery type (c-section or birth canal) and obesity in childhood. We are especially interested in families with siblings born via both types of delivery as this data could be more conclusive.

Date proposal received: 
Monday, 17 October, 2016
Date proposal approved: 
Wednesday, 1 February, 2017
Keywords: 
Microbiology - Bacteriology, Obesity, Pregnancy - e.g. reproductive health, postnatal depression, birth outcomes, etc., Qualitative study, Statistical methods, Birth outcomes, BMI, Breast feeding, Mothers - maternal age, menopause, obstetrics, Methods - e.g. cross cohort analysis, data mining, mendelian randomisation, etc., Microbiome, Nutrition - breast feeding, diet, Offspring, Statistical methods, Twins