14 DAY TRIAL // In a new study, experts found that exposure to cats and dogs during infants' first year of life is positively correlated to a decrease in the little ones' risk of developing allergies to pets later on.
Until now, scientists believed that exposing infants to cats or dogs had no significant influence on the way they would react to animals when they grow up. The new study validates those discoveries, but also shows that a correlation can be established under certain conditions.
The most important one is that the exposure takes place during a baby's first year of life, and not later. Beyond the age of one, exposing the young ones to common pets does nothing to reduce their risk of allergies, an 18-year-long study revealed.
This is one of the most comprehensive investigations conducted on this issue to date, say researchers at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. They collected the data used in this research from the Detroit Childhood Allergy Study.
For that research, mothers were recruited between 1987 and 1989. Some 565 women agreed to participate, and their children were followed constantly until they reached the age of 18. By studying these children, experts learned that the first year of life is the most important.
“We think this is a critical window,” says HFH epidemiologist Ganesa Wegienka, the author of the new study, quoted by LiveScience. She explains that the correlation holds true for boys and girls alike.
“I thought it was a well-designed study, it was a thorough analysis. I don't think that it answers all of our questions about pet ownership, but I think they present some important findings,” says Dr. Tolly Epstein.
The expert holds an appointment as an assistant professor of immunology at the University of Cincinnati and he investigates the how exposure to pets influences allergy development. The expert was however not a part of the current study.
“There have been multiple studies showing that dog ownership early in life may have a protective effect. I think further study is needed,” Epstein goes on to say.
Now, scientists in Detroit and elsewhere want to continue researching what's happening in infants' bodies during their first year of life. If they manage to find something that forms to protect the young ones from allergies, then maybe they could turn that into a cure for others suffering from these conditions.