Children are healthier and will have a lower chance of getting an allergy or being obese if there is a dog present in the household during pregnancy and after childbirth, new research has shown.
Microbes that can be found in dog fur lead to the good bacteria that humans have, and it is associated with a lower risk of developing allergies, asthma and obesity.
Timing can be crucial for this, especially when it comes to early exposure to these bacteria, researchers told the medical journal Microbiome.
It was found that the presence of a dog while the baby is still in the womb and three months after birth increases the chance for the proper development of that bacteria, "Mirror" reports.
The bacteria theory has long been established and according to it children who are exposed to dirt and bugs become immune to them, so it is good to let them outside to play while they are still small.
Epidemiologists from the University of Alberta in Canada have linked these effects to research conducted in families with pets, especially dogs. In the study, the stools of 746 children were examined. A higher percentage of intestinal bacteria Ruminococcus and Oscilospira was found in children who have a pet, in 70 percent of cases a dog.
Microbes, microorganisms and bacteria living in the digestive organs of humans and animals are associated with lower levels of allergies and obesity.
- There is no precisely determined moment when stomach immunity and microbes develop together, and when the interruption of that connection results in changes in immunity - said scientist, pediatrician and epidemiologist Ana Kozirskij.
Microbes are transmitted from animals to humans by petting, or just by being in the same room, and they can also affect the unborn baby while it is still in the womb.
- The presence of these bacteria is twice as high when there is a pet in the household - added Kozirskij, reports Novosti.
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