What Is the Hygiene Hypothesis?

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Red Rabbit keeps noticing articles mentioning hygiene hypothesis so he decides to do a search for an article that actually defines it.

‘Many parents believe that their children must be kept in an environment that is as clean as possible, but some research suggests that being exposed to what many would call unclean conditions is good for a child's immune system. Research has indicated that children who are kept in very clean environments have a higher rate of hay fever, asthma and a wide range of other conditions. This is what is called the hygiene hypothesis.

History - The hygiene hypothesis was first introduced in the late 1980s by David P. Strachan, a professor of epidemiology, in the British Medical Journal. Strachan found that children in larger households had fewer instances of hay fever because they are exposed to germs by older siblings. This finding led to further research that suggests a lack of early childhood exposure to less than pristine conditions can increase the individual's susceptibility to disease.

For example, in the late 1990s, Dr. Erika von Mutius, a health researcher, compared the rates of allergies and asthma in East Germany and West Germany, which unified in 1999. Her initial hypothesis was that East German children, who grew up in dirtier and generally less healthful conditions, would have more allergies and suffer more from asthma than their Western counterparts. However, her research found the opposite: children in the polluted areas of East Germany had lower allergic reactions and fewer cases of asthma than children in West Germany.

Further research has found that children in developing areas of the world are less likely to develop allergies and asthma compared with children in the developed world.’ (Source)

Let’s continue - Doctors Advise Striking a Balance Between Dirty and Hyper-Clean

Start at the beginning – Let’s play in the mud!