Children born by caesarean section are 20 percent more likely to develop type 1 diabetes, according to a new review.
Researchers at Queen?s University in Belfast analysed the results of 20 studies to find out if there is a link between caesarean delivery and type 1 diabetes. They found that children delivered by caesarean section are at an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes during childhood.
As well as the type of delivery, the researchers looked at other factors thought to increase the risk of a baby developing type 1 diabetes. These included birth weight, amount of time in the womb (gestation time), the age of the baby?s mother when she had the baby, whether or not she had diabetes during pregnancy and whether the baby was breastfed. None of these factors could explain the increase in type 1 diabetes in children delivered by caesarean.
