Language: English
This service contains links to third party websites. EPG Patient Direct is not in a position to verify this information and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the content contained.
01 Sep 2008
Living on a farm while pregnant could help reduce the likelihood of a child developing a range of conditions, including eczema, asthma and hay fever, scientists have suggested.
Published in the European Respiratory Journal, the study indicated that exposure to animals - and the bacteria they carry - could affect the immune system of a foetus.
The study, which involved more than 1,300 farmers' children and was carried out at Massey University, suggested that protection could begin building before birth.
"It found that the greatest apparent protection - a 50 per cent reduction in asthma and an ever greater reduction in eczema and hay fever - was gained by children whose mothers had been exposed to farm life during pregnancy," the BBC notes.
According to the researchers, contact with animal bacteria may suppress the production of certain immune cells linked to the development of asthma.
Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition, while asthma is a lung disease which causes the airways to become narrowed and results in breathing difficulties.
Click here to visit the Eczema Quick Guide
Delicious
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
