Having a dog can prevent children from developing this health issue

Real fur.

Only when you thought dogs could not be improved, a new study found that having a child as a child can provide ulti-muutt protection from an annoying skin condition.

The same benefits did not extend to cat ownership.

The research, published in the journal Allergy, found that babies exposed to pet dogs in the first year of their lives were less likely to develop eczema if they carried the DNA variant that increased their risk.

“The most difficult questions I have been asked by parents in the clinic are why their child has eczema and how they can help,” said Sara Brown, a dermatologist at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh in a press release.

“We know that genetic composition affects a child’s risk of eczema development and previous studies have shown that keeping a pet dog can be protective, but this is the first study that shows how this can happen at a molecular level.”

Preliminary research suggested a link between eczema and seven lifestyle factors, including pets, sisters and sisters, smoking, antibiotics and hygiene.

When they tried to repeat the findings with a much larger group – 255,000 – they encountered a startling turn.

A genetic region associated with inflammation was identified as an increased risk of eczema – but this risk disappeared among people who had a childhood dog.

Laboratory tests suggested that allergens from dogs actually reduced inflammation in the skin cells with dangerous gene.

Scientists suspect that exposure to a wider range of germs at the beginning of life, whether from dogs or older sisters, can help “train the immune system to respond properly, not too much – a theory sometimes called” hygiene hypothesis “.

“This study sheds light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others are not,” said Dr. Marie Standl, an epidemiologist at Helmholtz Munich in Germany.

“Not every preventative measure works for everyone – and that’s exactly why the studies find -the environment are essential.

“They help us move towards more personalized, effective prevention strategies.”

However, it is worth noting that the research focused on how to prevent eczema – not to treat it – as PET Dander could make more eczema in children who already have it.

It is hardly the first study to link dog ownership to health benefits. A 2019 study by Sweden was linked to a dog for an increase in physical activity and social support, as well as a lower risk of premature death after a heart attack or stroke.

And a 2022 summary of the ownership of pets, heart disease and hypertension found that the elderly and children appear to have a decrease in high blood pressure with a pet. Plus, a dog’s caress has been shown to lower the stress hormone cortisol and increases the oxytocin of the felt good hormone.