Various studies have shown that exposing toddlers to germs can actually protect them from allergies and asthma later in life. This idea is also based on the "hygiene hypothesis."
According to the hygiene hypothesis, children who are rarely exposed to bacteria, parasites, or viruses as children are more susceptible to allergies, asthma, and autoimmune diseases as adults. Another fact also states that children who have siblings, grow up in agricultural environments, and attend daycare from an early age are less likely to develop allergies. Just as a baby's brain needs stimulation, input, and interaction for optimal growth and development, a child's immune system is strengthened by daily exposure to germs, allowing the immune system to learn, adapt, and regulate itself.
It's unclear exactly which germs can benefit a child's immune system, but recent research offers clues. In a study conducted by Thom McDade, PhD, director of the Human Biology Research Laboratory at Northwestern University, children who were exposed to animal feces and suffered from diarrhea before the age of two had lower rates of inflammation in their bodies as adults. Inflammation itself is linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.
“The understanding has shifted from the immune system being associated with allergies and autoimmune diseases, but also its very important role in inflammation and other degenerative diseases,” McDade said.
In line with McDade, according to Martin Blaser, a professor of internal medicine at New York University, most of the germs that are around us or that live in our bodies are not only harmless but have also been with us for millions of years.
However, as human behavior changes, some types of microbes, such as those that live in the gut, are reduced or even eliminated. "The loss of these microbes has consequences, some good and some bad," Blaser said.
Blaser believes that parental fear, manifested by keeping children's environments as hygienic as possible, will deprive them of exposure to natural microorganisms that are actually beneficial for the immune system. This is further compounded by the use of antibiotics, which actually weaken us.
So, what should parents do? Balser recommends that parents and doctors be more judicious in prescribing antibiotics to children. Excessive use can actually weaken a child's immune system against disease.
Maintaining cleanliness is important, but McDade advises parents not to become obsessed with it. “Not everything needs to be washed or sterilized,” she says.
