Swedish researchers who analyzed the feces of newborns suggest that growing up with pets or on a farm may have a slight protective effect against the development of allergies.
This study of 65 children measured the ratios of the bacterial groups present in their stools at different intervals between three days and 18 months of age, and then followed them at ages three and eight years to determine whether they had developed allergies.
The researchers concluded that children who had pets or lived on farms may have developed gut bacteria earlier, which could have been the reason why they were less likely to develop allergies compared with their peers who had pets or lived on farms.
