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Sucking on infants pacifier to protect infants against allergies
Highlights
Sucking On Infants Pacifier To Protect Infants Against Allergies
Washington: Parents who suck on their infants' pacifiers may protect theirchildren against developing allergies, a new study has revealed.
Swedish researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, report that the simple habit may give significant protection against allergy development.
Swedish researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, report that the simple habit may give significant protection against allergy development.
Allergies are very common in industrialized countries. It has been suggested that exposure to harmless bacteria during infancy may be protective against the development of allergy.
However, it has been difficult to pinpoint which bacteria a baby should be exposed to, and at what time and by which route this exposure should ideally occur.
In a group of 184 children, who were followed from birth, the researchers registered how many infants used a pacifier in the first 6 months of life and how the parents cleaned the pacifier.
Most parents rinsed the pacifier in tap water before giving it to the baby, e.g., after it had fallen on the floor.
Some parents also boiled the pacifier to clean it, while others had the habit of putting the baby's pacifier into their mouth and cleaning it by sucking, before returning it to the baby.
It was found that children whose parents habitually sucked the pacifier were three times less likely to suffer from eczema at 1.5 years of age, as compared with the children of parents who did not do this.
When controlled for other factors that could affect the risk of developing allergy, such as allergy in the parents and delivery by Caesarean section, the beneficial effect of parental sucking on the pacifier remained.
In a group of 184 children, who were followed from birth, the researchers registered how many infants used a pacifier in the first 6 months of life and how the parents cleaned the pacifier.
Most parents rinsed the pacifier in tap water before giving it to the baby, e.g., after it had fallen on the floor.
Some parents also boiled the pacifier to clean it, while others had the habit of putting the baby's pacifier into their mouth and cleaning it by sucking, before returning it to the baby.
It was found that children whose parents habitually sucked the pacifier were three times less likely to suffer from eczema at 1.5 years of age, as compared with the children of parents who did not do this.
When controlled for other factors that could affect the risk of developing allergy, such as allergy in the parents and delivery by Caesarean section, the beneficial effect of parental sucking on the pacifier remained.
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