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Parents
Who Suck On Their Infants' Pacifiers May Protect Their Children Against
Developing Allergy
Allergies
are very common in industrialized countries. It has been suggested that
exposure to harmless bacteria during infancy may be protective against the
development of allergy.
However,
it has been difficult to pinpoint which bacteria a baby should be exposed to,
and at what time and by which route this exposure should ideally occur.
Swedish
researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, found that
children whose parents habitually sucked the pacifier were three times less
likely to suffer from eczema at 1.5 years of age, as compared with the children
of parents who did not do this.
Saliva is
a very rich source of bacteria and viruses, and the researchers believe that
oral commensal microbes are transferred from parent to infant when they suck on
the same pacifier. When the composition of the bacterial flora in the mouth was
compared between infants whose parents sucked on their pacifiers and those
whose parent did not, it was found to differ, supporting this hypothesis.
According
to "the hygiene hypothesis," the development of allergy can be
attributed in part to a paucity of microbial stimulation during early infancy.
"Early
establishment of a complex oral microflora might promote healthy maturation of
the immune system, thereby counteracting allergy development," says
professor Agnes Wold who led the study.
###
The above
story is based on the May 6, 2013 news release by University of Gothenburg,
Sweden.
The
research has been published online May 6, 2013 in Pediatrics, the official
journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics:
Hesselmar
B, Sjoberg F, Saalman R, Aberg N, Adlerberth I,
Wold AE. Pacifier Cleaning
Practices and Risk of Allergy Development. PEDIATRICS, 2013; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-3345
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