Living with a dog or a cat would reduce the risk of food allergies

03 avril 2023

According to Japanese scientists, being exposed to cats or dogs during fetal development or in early childhood might prevent the risk of food allergies.

In France, nearly 5% of children suffer from food allergies. And this incidence continues to increase. Previous research has already suggested that exposure to farm animals during pregnancy and infancy may reduce the risk of developing this type of sensitivity.

But what regarding pets?

In a study published in the journal Plos Oneresearchers from the Fukushima Regional Center for the Study of the Environment and Children in Japan wanted to know if what is valid for farm animals is also valid for the most common pets, namely dogs and cats.

To do this, they used data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, involving more than 66,000 children. About 22% of these young participants were exposed to pets during and following the fetal period. As a result, dogs had a significantly reduced incidence of food allergies: those exposed to indoor dogs were less likely to be allergic to eggs, milk and nuts. And those whose parents owned a cat were less allergic to eggs, wheat and soy.

Unfortunately the authors do not provide explanations. Their study being only observational, it is difficult to establish a link of cause and effect. But according to the scientists, these findings might help direct future research into the mechanisms behind childhood food allergies.

To note : Surprisingly, the authors also observed that children exposed to hamsters (0.9% of the total group studied) had a higher incidence of tree nut allergies.