Pet cats and dogs may help reduce the likelihood of babies developing food allergies as they grow into childhood, research published on Wednesday has suggested.
In an analysis of more than 65,000 infants and their relationship with pets, dogs and cats showed promise but hamsters appeared to offer greater risks.
The findings, published in the journal Plos One, could help design future studies on children and allergies, the scientists in Japan said.
Being exposed to dogs was linked to a reduced risk of egg, milk and nut allergies, the analysis found.
Cat exposure was tied to a lower risk of egg, wheat and soybean allergies,
But children who have hamsters as pets may be at an increased risk of developing a nut allergy, researchers discovered.
“This study showed that the association between pet exposure during foetal development or early infancy and the incidence risk of food allergies until the age of three years differs depending on the combination of two factors: pet species and allergen type,” the team wrote.
“Dog exposure might reduce the incidence risks of egg, milk and nut allergies; cat exposure might reduce the risks of egg, wheat and soybean allergies; hamster exposure might increase the risk of nut allergy.”
They added: “Further studies using oral food challenges are required to more accurately assess the incident of food allergies.”
Around one in 12 young children in the UK are thought to suffer from a food allergy.
Being exposed to farm animals in pregnancy and early childhood is associated with a lower risk of food allergies, previous research has shown.
For the latest study, Hisao Okabe from the Fukushima Medical University used data from 66,215 Japanese children and their mothers who were part of the Japan Environment And Children's Study.
About 22 per cent were exposed to indoor pets — mainly dogs and cats — while in the womb.
Children with indoor pets had a “significantly reduced incidence of food allergies” compared to those with outdoor dogs, the researchers discovered.
Meanwhile, children exposed to hamsters — 0.9 per cent of the total group studied — had a “significantly greater incidence of nut allergies”.
The findings are based on self-reported data and cannot determine if the link between pet exposure and food allergy is causative, the researchers said.
