Pet Dogs Reduce Allergies in Children, But Cats Increase Them

Man's best friend also appears to make us healthy in more ways than one including reducing allergies in children by as much as 4 times according to new research from the University of Cincinnati. On the other hand, cats put children at risk of allergies by 13 TIMES!

The data to obtain these results were obtained from 636 children enrolled in the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy & Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS), a long-term study examining the effects of environmental particulates on childhood respiratory health and allergy development. Notably, all these children are at risk for allergies as their parents have them.

Allergy testing was accomplished by skin prick tests.

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Reference:
Genetic and environmental risk factors for childhood eczema development and allergic sensitization in the CCAAPS cohort. J Invest Dermatol. 2010 Feb;130(2):430-7. Epub 2009 Sep 17

Opposing Effects of Cat and Dog Ownership and Allergic Sensitization on Eczema in an Atopic Birth Cohort. J Pediatr. 2010 Sep 29. [Epub ahead of print]