Neonatal antibiotic use associated with reduced growth in boys, study suggests

Neonatal antibiotic use associated with reduced growth in boys, study suggests (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Antibiotic treatment within 14 days of birth is associated with reduced weight and height in boys – but not girls – up to the age of six, new research suggests.

The study also found significantly higher body mass index (BMI) in both boys and girls following antibiotic use after the neonatal period, and within the first six years of life.