Lead exposure in early stages ups obesity risk

New York (IANS): Exposure to lead during the development stages and early childhood is likely to increase the risk of obesity in adulthood, finds a new research. The results of the study conducted on mice found that exposure to lead during early development stages of life can change the gut microbiota, a complex community of micro-organisms that live in the digestive tracts of animals, in a way that it significantly raises the chances of obesity in adulthood.

Adult male mice exposed to lead during the gestation period and infancy stages were 11 per cent larger than those not exposed. Mice exposed to lead during early development stages showed differences in their gut microbiota and had fewer aerobes and more anaerobes in their gut.

In both males and females, developmental lead impacted the adult microbiome, the researchers maintained, adding that the study only observed adult onset obesity in the males.Lead is found throughout the environment in natural and man-made settings.

For decades, researchers have found many health problems associated with exposure, even at levels lower than the threshold for safety set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the study, the researchers used deep DNA sequencing of bacterial specific genes to examine the guts of both males and females.