C-Section Babies Could Face Chronic Health Problems of Asthma, Diabetes & Obesity

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Babies delivered by cesarean section could face chronic health problems like asthma, diabetes and obesity, according to a new research.

The study published in the British Medical Journal found that C-section babies are more likely to develop chronic health problems later in life.    

"It is clear that cesarean-born children have worse health, but further research is needed to establish whether it is the cesarean that causes disease, or whether other factors are at play," lead researcher Dr. Jan Blustein, of New York University's School of Medicine, told CBS News.

"Getting definitive answers will take many years of further research. In the interim, we must make decisions based on the evidence that we have. To me, that evidence says that it is reasonable to believe that cesarean has the potential for long-term adverse health consequences for children."

Dr. Blustein together with Dr. Jianmen Liu of Peking University analyzed that C-section leads to 19 percent type 1 diabetes increased risk based on 20 studies, and similarly with asthma based on 23 studies, and with obesity based on 9 studies.

"People have always known the consequences of vaginal delivery -- brain damage, cerebral palsy, shoulder dystocia -- but there is not much discussion of the long-term downsides of cesarean delivery," Dr. Blustein told CBS.

The researchers explained that clinical guidelines and official documents for doctors and midwives should be updated to include the newly discovered risks and information about its possible long-term effects to C-section babies.

Cesarean sections are sometimes the only viable solutions for other mothers, but if a mother makes a repeated elective choice for c-section, women and doctors should think about its risks and benefits.

Blustein added that the doctors' main concerns are getting the baby out, but for elective C-section cases, he said, "Our main message was that it's time for people who make guidelines to think about long-term child health and look at the evidence. We wanted to get the dialogue started."

The researchers hope that their new findings can make an impact on C-section guidelines and on doctors and healthy women who would automatically opt for the operation rather than natural birth.

"This research isn't widely known. It is time for that to change, so that doctors, midwives and patients can weigh the risks and benefits of elective cesarean, and decide accordingly," Blustein concluded.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 32 percent of women in the U.S. who opt for cesarean delivery as the birthing method of choice.