Do pets protect children from allergies?
This Scientific American article looks at the controversial question “does being exposed to pets cause a rise in childhood allergies, or actually protect from it?”
Consider these statements from various scientists interviewed in the post -
* Pet ownership is associated with a decreased risk of developing allergies in countries with a lot of pets. On the contrary, it will increase the risk for allergy in countries with fewer pets.
* Children raised on farms experience fewer allery symptoms than other kids, but then again, farm kids lead very different lives than kids raised elsewhere, so it’s difficult to tease out exactly what it protecting them.
* People who are allergic to pets, or at risk of becoming allergic, simply aren’t going to own pets. So ownership doesn’t prove causation of allergy.
So should kids own pets if they are at risk of developing alleriges? NO.
The article points -
“If you want to get to get a pet to try and prevent allergies, that’s probably not a good reason.”
Tags: allergies, pets, children, dogs, cats
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POSTED IN: Asthma and Allergy, Diseases and Medical Conditions, Pets and Plants
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