from journal Pediatrics
It has been suggested that exposure to
harmless bacteria during infancy may
protect against development of allergies.
But, it has been difficult to determine
which bacteria a baby should be exposed
to and how. Swedish researchers came up
with a simple habit that might give
significant protection. Namely, a parent
sucking on the baby’s pacifier. Not a
pleasant thought? Consider that children
whose parents habitually sucked the
pacifier were three times less likely to
suffer eczema. If there’s concern about
passing harmful bacteria on to the baby,
the study showed those children had no
more upper respiratory infections,
compared with other children in the study.
The study, published in the journal
Pediatrics, is from a team of specialists in
allergic diseases that previously found that
complex gut microbes very early in life
reduces the risk of allergy development.