Dr Michelle Dickenson: nanotechnologist on new research stating babies exposed to cats and dogs are less likely to develop food allergies

This week, let's talk about why it's a good thing that New Zealand doesn't have hamsters! (We have guinea pigs)   Babies living with certain types of pets may be less likely to develop food allergies as they grow older compared to those living in pet-free homes according to new research published this week in the journal Plos One.  Food allergies in children has grown to over 10 percent of the population in developed countries, with milk and eggs being the most common foods children are allergic to.  Previous studies have found that exposure to pets early on in life can help to build a more sturdy immune system through something called the hygiene hypothesis.  This hypothesis suggests that repeated exposure to germs at an early age helps our immune system to adapt so that it doesn’t overreact later on in life to harmless substances.  To test this theory around food allergies, researchers studies over 65,000 infants over a 3 year period looking at both the allergies they suffered from, as well as the animals they lived with both as infants and while their mother was pregnant.   22 percent of the children in the study had been exposed to indoor pets.  They found that babies exposed to dogs in the home had a reduced risk of egg, milk and nut allergies and those exposed to cats had a reduced risk of egg, wheat and soybean allergies.  Not all pets had a positive effect, with babies growing up sharing a home with a hamster twice as likely to develop nut allergies than those who were hamster free.   The researchers speculated that the nuts that the hamsters eat might create nutty house dust which could sensitize the babies.  Luckily hamsters are banned in New Zealand, but it might be worth thinking about if you were thinking of getting a similar nut-eating rodent for you home.  The study found no association between homes that housed turtles or birds as pets - so if you are thinking about a pet and a family in the future, it might pay to find a canine or feline friend.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.