LIVING WITH DOGS AND CATS IN PREGNANCY HAS HEALTH BENEFITS FOR THE BABY, ACCORDING TO A STUDY

It is not the first time that we talked about how living with dogs and cats can help improve the health of children, but until now little was known about the benefits that this living together can bring since pregnancy.

Therefore, if you are waiting for a baby and you have a pet at home, you are in luck, because apart from giving you unconditional warmth and affection, and promoting the practice of physical exercise, your dog or your cat will also be contributing positively to the health of your future baby. We tell you in detail this research conducted by the University of Alberta (Canada).

Having a pet during pregnancy reduces the risk of allergy in the baby

We all know the innumerable emotional benefits which brings people to have a dog or a cat at home: give and receive love, always have company, have a companion of games and adventures, and even in the case of sick children or with some disorder, pets can become A great help.

In Babies and more Having a dog at home and maintaining a close relationship with him is beneficial for your children.

But in addition to these benefits, the University of Alberta has long since discovered that living with pets improves children's health, reducing the risk of developing allergies, asthma and respiratory diseases, while reducing the incidence of future obesity.

For years it was thought that the health benefits of children came from living with animals in their first years of life. But now, recent research has determined that the benefits begin with exposure to animals in pregnancy.

The investigation analyzed the intestinal bacteria of more than 700 three-month-old babies, whose mothers had lived with dogs and cats during pregnancy.

The results showed that being in contact with these pets while we are pregnant, causes us to develop a greater number of intestinal bacteria called Ruminococcus Y Oscillospora, which eventually have a positive impact on the health of our baby, since they are associated with a lower allergic predisposition, and at a lower risk of being overweight.

In Babies and more Pregnant women contact with animals reduces the risk of eczema in the child

In addition, the investigation also determined that this coexistence reduces the risk of infection in the newborn by Group B Streptococcus, an infection that could cause pneumonia, sepsis or even meningitis.

According to Anita Kozyrskyj, author of the research, the connection between pets and healthy intestinal bacteria suggests that a Excess disinfection can do more harm than good:

"We are too worried about not exposing ourselves to microbes, but it is precisely this obsession with hygiene, which is believed to have caused an increase in the number of allergies and asthma cases"

Kozyrskyj and his team of researchers will continue to study the babies participating in this study until they turn five, to have more data about the long-term benefits of living with pets during pregnancy.