A new study reveals that exposure to a variety of germs and allergens in the first year of their life makes an infant healthier.
Parents try their best to protect their children from a wide variety of bacteria found in homes as well as outside. However, researchers believe that babies exposed to germs and other allergens are less likely to suffer from wheezing, asthma and allergies later on in their lives.
A previous study suggests that infants who grow up in farms are less likely to suffer from allergies or asthma as they are highly likely to be exposed to farm soil, cockroaches, rodents, cats and other pollutants. The latest study indicates that if infants are exposed to bacteria and allergens before they get to age one, they are more likely to benefit from them rather than suffer from the said exposure.
The researchers also said that the age of an infant is very important. If a child is exposed to bacteria after reaching age one, their body may not have the protective shields against allergens.
"Our study shows that the timing of initial exposure may be critical," says Robert Wood, study author and the chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. "What this tells us is that not only are many of our immune responses shaped in the first year of life, but also that certain bacteria and allergens play an important role in stimulating and training the immune system to behave a certain way."
Researchers conducted a study on 467 inner-city newborns in the cities of Baltimore, New York, Boston and St. Louis. The researchers analyzed the level of allergens present in the homes for three years. During the examination period, scientists tested the infants for wheezing and signs of allergies via regular blood tests, physical examination and also asked question to parents. The researchers also analyzed and collected dust from the dwellings of 104 infants who participated in the study.
The scientists highlight those children whose homes were exposed to some cat and mouse dander or even cockroach droppings during the first year of life had comparatively lower wheezing rate when they reached age three. On the other hand, children raised in homes without these allergens had nearly three times the rate of wheezing at age three.
The study concludes that children who hit the age of three without allergies and wheezing are those who were exposed with the highest levels of allergens and variety of bacteria at home.
Reports suggest that asthma affects around 7 million children in the U.S. and is a common chronic inflammatory disease. The findings of the current study can lay a foundation for researchers to conduct in-depth study to understand the correlation between asthma and exposure to allergens at an early stage.
