Benefits of pets in babies

A research conducted in the United States concluded that children who lived with dogs or cats in their first year of life had a lower risk of allergies. This would be as a result of early exposure to allergens, which strengthen the immune system.

The study also indicated that this positive effect occurred in children, but not girls, a finding that left investigators baffled. At the same time revealed that exposure to pets at any time after the first year of life had no significant effect on the risk of allergy, emphasizing the importance of the time variable in preventive issues.

 The lead researcher, Dr. Ganesa Wegienka, explained that the immune system, if you are busy with the show from the start, away from the allergic immune profile.

Although reports have been made regarding this issue, this is the first study to evaluate the consequences of living with pets following the health profile of the analysis group to 18 years.

In reaching this age, the researchers took blood samples and examined for certain proteins the immune system (called antibodies) that fight allergens from cats and dogs. Adolescents who lived with a cat during their first year of life were 48% lower risk of allergy to cats than their peers, and adolescents who lived with a dog had a 50% lower risk of allergy.

In the exceptional case of girls, experts are not encouraged to draw firm conclusions, but suggested that perhaps your immune system fails to develop in the same way that children, perhaps because they interact differently with pets.