Children that grow up on Dairy farms are 90 percent less likely to develop allergies than children from other rural areas, a new study finds.
Allergies have become very common, especially in western societies. One reason is because children here live in well-developed areas where they are not exposed to microorganisms and infections. This delays maturation of their immune systems. However, a new study found that children who grow up on dairy farms are less likely to develop allergies than children living in other rural areas.
For the study, researchers from the University of Gothenburg monitored children until the age of three to examine maturation of the immune system in relation to allergic diseases. Half of these participants grew up in farms that produced milk while the others lived in rural areas of the Västra Götaland Region.
Researchers found that children who grew up in milk farms were 90 percent less likely to develop allergies compared to their peers who grew up in other areas.
"Our study also demonstrated for the first time that delayed maturation of the immune system, specifically B-cells, is a risk factor for development of allergies," said Anna-Carin Lundell, one of the researchers, in a press statement.
"We need to identify the specific factors on dairy farms that strengthen protection against allergies and appear to promote maturation of the immune system as early as the fetal stage," she continued.
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of food and skin allergies increased in children under 18 from 1997-2011.
Allergy is characterized by an overreaction of the human immune system to a foreign protein substance ("allergen") that is eaten, breathed into the lungs, injected or touched. This immune overreaction can result in symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and scratchy throat. In severe cases it can also result in rashes, hives, lower blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, asthma attacks and even death. There are no cures for allergies. Allergies can be managed with proper prevention and treatment.
Allergies have a genetic component. If only one parent has allergies of any type, chances are 1 in 3 that each child will have an allergy. If both parents have allergies, it is much more likely (7 in 10) that their children will have allergies, according to a WebMD report. More Americans than ever before say they are suffering from allergies. It is among the country's most common, yet often overlooked, diseases.
The study titled "High proportion of CD5+ B-cells in infants predicts development of allergic disease" was published online in The Journal of Immunology.
