Since we have a dog at home, I am increasingly convinced that dogs are ideal companions for children. They are givers of an unconditional love, foster responsibility and favor the self-esteem of the little ones. The connection that is established between them is incredible, and there are also benefits for them at the health level. Contrary to what is believed, they help protect them from allergies.
According to a study by scientists from Uppsala University and published in the scientific journal JAMA Pediatrics Babies living with dogs have a lower risk of developing asthma at the age of six, specifically the possibilities are reduced by up to 15%.
The research was carried out based on the monitoring of more than one million Swedish children, and concludes that the exposure of babies to dogs in their homes during the first year of life is associated with the asthma reduction in the future.
They do not explain why this protective effect, although previous research focuses on the presence of high levels of endotoxins in the environment, bacteria present in the environmental dust produced by the dog that generate a strengthening of the immune system, as if it were a kind of vaccine that prevents disease.
The author of the research commented on something very interesting when asked about the protective factors against asthma:
“It could be due to a single factor or, more likely, a combination of several factors related to the lifestyle of the dog's property or attitudes of the dog's owner, such as children's exposure to household and household dirt. house dust, time spent outdoors or physical activity. ”
