Babies With Pets May Be Less Likely to Develop Food Allergies

About 8% of children in the U.S. have a food allergy, roughly double the percentage who did in 2007. It’s not entirely clear why more kids are being diagnosed with food allergies, both in the U.S. and across the world—but as these potentially life-threatening conditions grow more common, lots of researchers are studying how to treat or prevent them. A study published in PLOS ONE on Mar. 29 offers one potential strategy: get a pet. Among thousands of babies in Japan, exposure to cats or dogs during pregnancy or early infancy was associated with a lower risk of developing food allergies, the researchers found. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] That finding is based on data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, an ongoing trial that includes about 100,000 women in Japan who became pregnant from January 2011 to March 2014 and their children. Kids in the study are tracked until they turn 13 so researchers can learn more about how their living conditions and environmental exposures affect their health. The new study looked at about 66,000 children whose mothers provided information about their pet exposure and food allergies. Compared to children without pets, kids who were exposed to a cat or dog during pregnancy or early infancy were roughly 15% less likely to develop allergies to common triggers including eggs, milk, wheat, soybeans, and nuts by age three, according to their mothers’ survey responses. Read More: How Smart Is a Dog, R...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Research Wellbeing Source Type: news