Do you want a strong and resilient baby? Make him breathe the dust … Hmm, this surprising advice that will undoubtedly make some parents cough is that given by researchers at the John Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore in the United States.
According to Dr. Robert Wood, head of the facility’s allergy and immunology department, children’s exposure to allergens before the age of one has a protective effect against asthmaand allergies. He himself admits to being surprised at the result of his study: “Our result is the opposite of what we expected to find,” he says on NBC news.
For three years, the scientist and his team monitored the health of 467 newborns by noting the concentration of allergens present in their environment as well as the rate of bacteria in house dust.
Result: Parents freak about cleanliness would not necessarily do their kids a favor, who would become more sensitive to allergens. Babies in contact with allergens from mice, cockroaches and cats during their first year of life had lower rates of allergy and wheezing (a precursor symptom of asthma) than those raised in an asthma. house free of allergens.
A good reason to have a pet at home
The author of the study, which appeared in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, takes care to reassure parents, stating: “We are not asking parents to bring rodents and cockroaches into the house, but we suggest that excessive hygiene is not that beneficial “. And to add: “While twenty years earlier we advised parents to keep cats and dogs away from children, this study shows that the earlier a child is near a domestic animal, the better he is.”
Several studies have established that the early contact of children with dogs strengthens their immune system and makes them more resistant to respiratory infections.
So, if you were still hesitant to give your child a four-legged animal, maybe now is the time to give in.
And you, do you believe in the protective effect of animals against allergies in children? We talk about it on the forum !