Talk about man’s best friend!
A new study reveals that kids raised in a home with dogs are less likely to develop asthma.
The journal JAMA Pediatrics' study of more than 1 million Swedish
children also applies to kids who grew up on a farm with animals.
But children surrounded by dogs did even better than their agrarian
pals; they were 15% less likely to later develop asthma than those who
did not live with dogs.
“It appears farm environments and rural environments and exposure to
farm animals may lead to a more healthy or robust immune system and in
some studies appears to be setting the stage to reducing asthma,” says
Dr. Clifford W. Bassett, medical director, Allergy and Asthma Care of NY
and a professor at NYU and Cornell Medical College.
Though he had yet to peruse this study, Bassett was familiar with
earlier studies, such as the Johns Hopkins one from two years ago which
found that newborns exposed to household germs, pet and rodent dander
and cockroach allergens during their first year had a lower risk of
developing asthma.
Researchers also found that the benefits disappeared after the baby’s first year.
The new study and the older one are in keeping with the so-called
hygiene hypothesis. That states that children who grow up in houses that
are too clean could develop hypersensitive immune systems making them
more prone to allergies.
Of course the takeaway for many would be -- adopt that dog and don’t bother vacuuming.
As with any major decision, especially one involving children, Bassett advises checking with a pediatrician if at all in doubt.
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