Children who suck their thumb or bite their nails may be less likely to suffer allergic reactions when they reach adolescence, researchers said. What more, the study found that the protective effect appeared to last up to ‘in adulthood .Still bite no one suggests that children are encouraged to take up the habits, said lead researcher Dr. Robert Hancox from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. With the thumb sucking, in particular, there is concern that this may affect the alignment of the teeth as they come in. “We do not want to dismiss these concerns,” said Hancox.”But,” he added, “if the child has a habit that is difficult to break, maybe there is some consolation in the fact that there May be a reduced risk of allergies.”

How could chronically putting your fingers in your mouth affect the risk of allergies? According Hancox, all relating to the “hygiene hypothesis”. The theory is that exposure to bacteria and other microbes early in life helps keep the immune system to fight infection and away from the tendency to allergic reactions. However, the study cannot prove that the habit directly reduces the risk of children becoming sensitive to allergens, Hancox recognize. However, he said his team was represented by a number of things that affect a child’s awareness of the possibilities – including whether they are breastfed, exposed to passive smoking, living with pets, or a family history of allergies, It is “hard to imagine” that other factors explain the results, said Hancox. At least one expert agreed that the hygiene hypothesis may explain the results of the study.

Dr. Mika Hiramatsu, a pediatrician who examined the study, said: “This is another proof of the hygiene hypothesis,” she is a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics .Hiramatsu said similar compounds in previous studies: for nursery children living with animals living on the farm, or have older siblings tend to have less risk of allergies and asthma – indicates that relatively germinal entire offer some protection environments.”I think this study adds weight to the idea that children do better when they are exposed to a variety of microbes,” said Hiramatsu. “Being in the” sterile “is really not the best for us.”That does not mean that parents should let their children “rolls around the dirt,” said Hiramatsu. However, they can “relax a bit” about cleaning; he said. The findings are based on more than 1,000 children in New Zealand who entered the study at birth. Most are accompanied by an adult. Based on parental reports, 31 percent of children and were sucking the thumb or bite their nails “is often” at the age of 5 and 11 children between are a third less likely than others to develop allergic sensitization to where they were 13thThis meant that it is less likely that a positive result when the skin is exposed to allergy triggers such as pollen and dust mites. The same trend is evident even at the age of 32, they found. However, we do not know exactly what it means for people’s daily lives, said Hancox. Test skin shows whether someone had an allergic reaction to a particular substance. I do not necessarily mean that people suffering from symptoms every day. The researchers asked participants whether they had asthma or hay fever diagnosis. And for thumb sucking and nail biting, no difference in the risk of developing those conditions .