Babies born by Caesarean section are 20% mo re likely to develop diabetes than those born naturally, experts reveal today.
Babies born by Caesarean section are 20% mo re likely to develop diabetes than those born naturally, experts reveal today.
Research commissioned by the charity Diabetes UK found that the chances of infants delivered by Caesarean section developing Type 1 diabetes were "consistently a fifth higher" than children whose mothers underwent natural deliveries.
The cause of the link is unknown, but researchers suggest that it could be due to exposure to hospital bugs during the operation itself.
Rates of Caesarean sections and diabetes in Scotland have soared in the past 20 to 30 years, with recent statistics revealing that the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children aged under five is rising by 3.4% every year.
Figures have also shown that there were nearly three times more Caesareans in 2005 than there were in 1976, at 23.9% of births compared to 8.6%.
The number of women opting for elective Caesareans - dubbed "too posh to push" after celebrity mothers who made the same choice - almost doubled in the last three decades from 4.7% to 9%.
Today's findings prompted calls for greater action to reduce the number of needless, "risky" Caesarean sections and for more research to unravel the mysterious link between the surgical procedure and diabetes.
Lead researcher Dr Chris Cardwell, of Queen's University Belfast, said: "This study shows a consistent 20% increase in the risk of Type 1 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."
Around 193,000 people in Scotland have been diagnosed with diabetes and tens of thousands more are thought to be unaware that they have the condition.
If it is left untreated it can cause blindness and lead to amputations and fatal complications including heart disease.
Type 1 is the form of the condition where the body cannot produce any insulin to control blood sugar levels because the cells producing the hormone have been destroyed, possibly through infection.
Diabetes UK Scotland interim director and former diabetes nurse Tony Doherty cautioned mothers about opting for Caesareans.
He said: "Not all women have the choice of whether to have a Caesarean section or not, but those who do may wish to take this risk into consideration before choosing to give birth this way.
"We already know that genetics and childhood infections play a vital role in the development of Type 1 diabetes in children, but the findings of this study indicate that the way a baby is delivered could affect how likely it is to develop this condition later in life."
He added that more research was needed.
