Having a dog at home might do more for you than just providing a source of companionship, according to University of Arizona professor Charles Raison, MD. The psychiatry professor believes that dog saliva may serve as a sort of "probiotic," helping the human body maintain healthy levels of bacteria to combat the development of allergy symptoms. In other words, when your dog gives you slobbery kisses, he may actually be helping you build your immune system.
There is already a body of research that makes Raison predict that dog saliva may have some influence in allergy prevention. According to Health Magazine, prior studies have shown that having a dog at home can make kids less likely to develop diseases that involve malfunctions of the immune system, like asthma and eczema. Studies have also made it clear that exposure to bacteria early in life can decrease children's chances of developing allergies.
Raison's team has already begun the process of recruiting study participants aged 50 to 60 and pairing them with Humane Society rescue dogs. The human and canine participants will live together for 12 weeks, after which Raison and his team will measure changes in the humans' gut flora and immune system function.
Research into the effects of bacteria on immune function is relatively new, making this study a particularly innovative one.
"If the dogs and human owners look similar microbiota-wise… then it means dogs are basically having probiotic-enhancing microbiota of human owners," Raison told ABC News.
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