Researchers from Imperial College London in the UK have found that babies born by Caesarean section are more likely to be overweight or obese in adulthood than those born by vaginal delivery. Publishing their results in the journal PLOS ONE, the team says mothers should be aware of these potential long-term consequences for their children.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the total US Caesarean (C-section) delivery rate in 2011 was at 32.8%, which means a total of nearly 1.3 million babies were delivered this way.

During this procedure, doctors take the baby out of the mother through her abdomen. Most C-sections are performed when unexpected problems occur, such as the position of the baby or signs of distress, but some women choose to deliver this way even in the absence of problems.

Though the surgery is relatively safe, it does carry risks for both the mother and baby. For example, previous studies have suggested babies born by Caesarean are more likely to develop asthma or type 1 diabetes during childhood.

Prof. Neena Modi, senior author from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, says: