Children exposed to pet cats or indoor dogs tended to have fewer food allergies

Mar 30 (techexplorist.com) - In an analysis of over 65,000 infants from Japan, children exposed to pet cats or indoor dogs during fetal development or early infancy tended to have fewer food allergies compared to other children, according to a study published March 29, 2023

Across some high-income countries, more than one in ten children are diagnosed with food allergies, and the incidence of food allergies in children continues to rise. Previous research has suggested a potential link between dog or farm animal exposure in pregnancy and early childhood and the reduction of food allergies.

In this study, Okabe and colleagues used data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (a nationwide, prospective birth cohort study) to study 66,215 children for whom data on exposure to various pets and food allergies were available. About 22 percent were exposed to pets during the fetal period (most commonly indoor dogs and cats). ...continue reading

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