Diabetes risk for caesarean deliveries

According to a report in PubMed, children born by Caesarean section could face a 20 per cent greater risk of developing type 1 diabetes . Leading UK diabetes charity, Diabetes UK, said that further research needs to be conducted before any genuine conclusions can be drawn.
The research was conducted by Queen’s University Belfast, who went through 20 previous studies. The researchers suggest that initial contact with hospital bacteria, as opposed to maternal bacteria, could be behind the increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes .
Although the World Health Organisation recommends that 15 per cent of births are caesarea, the UK has an average of 24 per cent of births of this type. Researcher Dr. Chris Cardwell reportedly commented: “This study shows a consistent 20% increase in the risk of diabetes . It is important to stress that the reason for this is still not understood, although it is possible that the Caesarean section itself is responsible, perhaps because babies born via that method are first exposed to bacteria originating from the hospital environment rather than to maternal bacteria. Type 1 diabetes in childhood has become more prevalent across Europe recently, and the rate of this increase suggests that environmental factors are the cause.”