While it has long been suggested that living with pets as a child can increase your immunity to allergies and asthma symptoms, researchers have recently discovered that being exposed to animal skins has similar benefits.
According to the European Respiratory Society's International Congress in Munich, infants who sleep or nap on an animal fur for the first three years of their lives are more likely to develop heightened immunity to allergy symptoms. The study indicates that germs found in the hide actually help the immune system learn not to be triggered by allergens.
Researchers followed 2,441 babies from the time they were born until they were ten years old. The results showed, "55 percent of infants who slept on animal skin for the first three months are 79 percent less prone to developing asthma when they hit six years old, in comparison to those who did not sleep on animal fur," writes the International Business Times. "By the time the infants reach 10 years of age, the risk is further decreased to 41 percent, researchers said."
This study supports scientists' idea of the 'hygiene hypothesis' which argues that too much cleanliness can actually be detrimental to overall health in the long term. This study also shows that it is not technically pet hair that is responsible for allergies, but rather the dander that tends to gather on pet hair that triggers symptoms. For healthy growth and development, researchers say, it is best to have some exposure to allergens or potential triggers in order to build up your body's response to them.
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