Pets, whether cats or dogs, are associated with fewer food allergies in children up to three years of age, even when exposed to these animals before birth, according to a study published Thursday.
The research, carried out in Japan and published in the scientific journal Plos One, does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, but rather an association between the two factors.
The scientists used data from the Japan Study on Children and the Environment, in which 66,215 children, which included information on pet exposure and food allergies, among other.
In some developed countries, more than one in 10 children is diagnosed with a food allergy, and the incidence continues to rise, scientists say.
The study indicates that around 22% of minors were exposed to pets, mainly dogs and cats indoors during the fetal period.
Among children with indoor contact with cats and dogs, there was a “significant reduction” in the incidence of food allergies, although no significant difference was observed with children from homes with outdoor dogs.
The data indicates that children exposed to indoor dogs “were significantly less likely” to suffer specific allergies to eggs, milk and nuts.
Those who had contact with cats were “significantly less likely” Have allergies to eggs, wheat, and soy.
However, and “surprisingly”, in the case of hamsters (0.9% of the total group studied) there was a significantly lower incidence of allergies to nuts.
The authors point out some limitations of the study, such as the fact that the data is not based on allergy tests or other analyzes carried out by them, but rather on those provided by the participants, supplemented by clinical histories.
In addition, this study cannot determine if the relationship between exposure to pets and incidence of food allergies is cause and effect.
Still, the authors suggest that these results may help guide future research on the underlying mechanisms to childhood food allergies.
Source: Observadora
