August 27, 2000 – According to a 15-year study of approximately 1,000 children, those who were exposed at a young age (six months and under) to the germs of other children, whether in daycare or by their siblings , are twice less at risk of suffering from asthma at age 13 than only children who started daycare later.
This observation is consistent with what is called “hygiene theory”, that the modern, completely sanitized environment does not allow the immune system to develop adequately at a young age. This would explain the spectacular rise in the prevalence of asthma and allergies over the past thirty years. According to Dr. Leonard Bielory, director of the Asthma and Allergy Research Center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, New Jersey, this study reflects the growing belief that the more sterile the first environment, the more health problems will be numerous later.
The researchers first observed that children in daycare contract more respiratory illnesses than other children, something which can be confirmed by just about all parents who have children in daycare. But then their statistical analyzes found that children who had contact with other children before the age of six months were half as likely to have asthma later.
A host of recent research has also shown that children who attended daycare at a young age, grew up on a farm, or with a dog at home, are also less likely to develop asthma and allergies later on.
Parents who feel guilty about sending their little cherubs to daycare can take some comfort in thinking that this is helping to make them healthier.
HealthPassport.net
According to Associated Press, August 23, 2000
– Thomas M. Ball, Jose A. Castro-Rodriguez, Kent A. Griffith, Catharine J. Holberg, Fernando D. Martinez, Anne L. Wright, Siblings, Day-Care Attendance, and the Risk of Asthma and Wheezing during Childhood, N Engl J Med 2000; 343: 538-43.
– Ernst P, Cormier Y. Relative scarcity of asthma and atopy among rural adolescents raised on a farm. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000 May; 161 (5): 1563-6.
– Kilpelainen M, Terho EO, Helenius H, Koskenvuo M. Farm environment in childhood prevents the development of allergies. Clin Exp Allergy. 2000 Feb; 30 (2): 201-8.
– Hesselmar B, Aberg N, Aberg B, Eriksson B, Bjorksten B. Does early exposure to cat or dog protect against later allergy development? Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 May; 29 (5): 611-7.
