Want To Fight Allergies? Get a Dirty Dog 147
sciencehabit writes "A dog in the house is more than just good company. There's increasing evidence that exposure to dogs and livestock early in life can lessen the chances of infants later developing allergies and asthma. Now, researchers have traced this beneficial health effect to a microbe living in the gut. Their study, in mice, suggests that supplementing an infant's diet with the right mix of bacteria might help prevent allergies — even without a pet pooch."
Makes sense (Score:5, Interesting)
It makes sense. I have always said that keeping your kids in an aseptic environment is not helping them to build resistance for when they get out to the real world at some point.
Do you remember that South Park episode where the parents would get their kids with other sick kids for them to also get sick? Well, there is some truth to it...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenpox_(South_Park) [wikipedia.org]
Re:I KNEW IT! (Score:5, Interesting)
If you consider what allergic reaction is, your observation makes sense.
Allergic reaction is your immune system looking for enemies, not finding them and attacking benign or even symbiotic cells instead. When you get a dog, alongside all the hair you get those foreign microbes and suddenly your immune system has proper enemies to fight - so it can "recalibrate" itself to combat those instead of friendlies.
The Finns already know it (Score:5, Interesting)
A Finnish friend of mine told me when kids there reach the age of 2, during summer holidays, they take them to the countryside and get them to play naked in dirt and mud on purpose, to build up their immune system.