Do Parasites Protect Against Allergies?
Children who become infected with hookworm or other intestinal parasites may be less likely to have allergies, says a new research review. The study gives more support to the “hygiene hypothesis” — the theory idea that increasingly germ-free surroundings may be contributing to a worldwide increase in allergies and asthma.
Exposure to viruses and other pathogens early in life may help prime your immune system, letting it develop normally instead of having a tendency to overreact to harmless substances, which is the cause of allergies.
Reuters reports:
“The research … included almost 29,000 people … [P]articipants with any current parasitic infection were 31 percent less likely than others to display reactions when exposed to common allergens like dust mite or cockroach proteins in a skin test.”
View the original article here at Mercola.com