Young boy (Photo : http://fourcowfarm.com/)
Washing dishes by hand reportedly lowers the risk of allergy development in households, particularly in children, according to a new study published in the Pediatrics journal.
The study focused on whether or not early household hygiene practices can help prevent developing allergies, protecting children in the process, the New York Times has learned.
It comes from the idea called "hygiene hypothesis", wherein it stands on the belief that kids who are not exposed to bacteria early in life are prone to allergies.
According to lead author Dr. Bill Hesselmar of Queen Silvia Children's Hospital in Sweden, "If you are exposed to microbes, especially early in life, you stimulate the immune system in various ways and it becomes tolerant. Hesselmar also elaborated that handwashing dishes might play a crucial role, thus, the study, Health reported.
The conduct of the study involved investigating 1,000 children and their parents in Sweden's Gothenburg area. They looked into household behaviors, such as whether or not parents fed their kids farm foods that are bought from farms directly. The investigation also included finding out if the parents washed dishes by hand or by the use of dishwashers.
The researchers found out that kids who are raised in homes that practice handwashing dishes had lower rates of allergies. It may only be an association, but it could also be the case wherein children exposed to innocuous bacteria are likely to have strong immune systems.
"It's an interesting finding and very surprising," Hesselmar stated. "But we have to see if we can confirm it."
More research is needed to know if there is truly a relationship between washing dishes by hand and stronger immune systems in children.
