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Using household cleaning products may increase the risk of obesity in children, a new study suggests.
University of Alberta researchers monitored 757 children from infancy to adolescence. The researchers looked into the subjects’ exposure to three types of household cleaners—disinfectants, detergents, and eco-cleaners. These household cleaners were examined to determine their possible effects on children’s guts, as well as their weights.
Findings showed that three- to four-month-old infants from families who used disinfectants at least once a week were two times as likely to have higher levels of Lachnospiraceae [LACH-noh-spahy-rey-see] or bacteria found in the gut. The bacteria are associated with greater body fat and resistance to insulin, a substance produced by the body to use and convert sugar into energy. Therefore, children with higher levels of Lachnospiraceae are more prone to obesity.
However, the researchers found no connection between obesity and detergents with no disinfecting ingredients like bleach and hydrogen peroxide. The study’s findings also suggest that infants living in homes where eco-cleaners were used were less likely to become obese. This is because children exposed to eco-cleaners had lower levels of the gut bacteria associated with obesity.
Despite the discrepancies in the findings, some experts believe that the results of the study still hold water. Noel Mueller and Moira Differding of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health explained that the types of bacteria that people are exposed to in the infancy stage affect the immune and metabolic systems.
The experts, therefore, recommend conducting further studies on the link between using disinfectants and obesity.