Pets may help prevent food allergies in children
While research has shown that having pets can lower the chances of respiratory allergies in children, a new study finds it might also reduce the risk of food allergies.
Japanese researchers found that young children exposed to dogs in the home were less likely to experience egg, milk and nut allergies, while those exposed to cats were less likely to be diagnosed with egg, wheat and soybean allergies.
Still, “pet exposure does not completely prevent food allergies,” noted study author Dr. Hisao Okabe, from the Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study and the department of pediatrics at Fukushima Medical University in Japan.
“All this study has shown is that it may reduce the risk of developing food allergies. In addition, the association between pet exposure and food allergies might differ, depending on the pet species and causative food,” Okabe added.
For the study, Okabe’s team analyzed medical and self-reported data on more than 66,000 infants in Japan, and found that those exposed to indoor cats or dogs during pregnancy or early infancy had fewer food allergies, at least until the age of 3.
About 22% of those infants were exposed to these pets.
Why children with pets may have fewer food allergies wasn’t determined in this study, but previous reports have suggested it could be due to the gut bacteria, endotoxins in the air or through the skin barrier, Okabe said.
The findings were published online in the journal PLOS ONE.
The study authors noted that recent research in South Africa found exposure to farm animals during fetal development or infancy decreased the risk of food allergies in a rural population.
Food allergies can reduce quality of life for kids and their families and can create high medical costs.