Study: Living on a farm helps prevent asthma, allergies

Monday, March 07, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: asthma, farms, health news

(NaturalNews) Dirty, dusty farm life appears to be better for your health than sanitized city life, according to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers from Munich University Children's Hospital in Germany found that asthma rates among farm children was less than half the rate of other children, and experts believe the multitude of diverse microbes found in farm environments is responsible.

Researchers collected dust samples from the homes of both children who live on farms and children who live in urban and suburban areas. Upon examination, the farm samples contained a much wider variety of bacteria and fungi than the urban and suburban samples, which were directly correlated to lower overall rates of asthma and allergies.

"The risk of asthma decreased with an increase in the diversity of microbial exposure," said Dr. Markus Ege, author of the study. "Within the microbial spectrum under investigation, several germs with a potential for asthma prevention were identified. A combination of environmental microorganisms might stimulate the innate immune system and counterbalance an asthma-prone immune status."

Previous studies have found similar results, notably a 2010 study out of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) which found that the germs in dirt help to build immunity and ward off asthma and allergies. The same study also correlated excessive cleanliness with immune impairment because in a sanitary environment, the body is unable to properly build immunity (https://www.naturalnews.com/027855_children_d...).

Conclusively, both studies on the subject reinforce the fact that environmental germs and microbes can be beneficial to health and immune function. Without them, the body seems unable to build a natural resistance to disease.

Sources for this story include:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20110224/hl_hsn/...