Health
Crohn’s: Living with a dog during childhood may reduce the risk of developing the disease
Researchers tracked more than 4000 people at risk of developing Crohn’s disease and found those who lived with a dog between age 5 and 15 were 40 per cent less likely to develop the disease
Health
23 May 2022
Having a dog during childhood may be protective
Shutterstock / Melounix
Among people who have a first-degree relative with Crohn’s disease, a risk factor for this type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), those who grew up with a dog were less likely to develop the condition.
About 1.3 per cent of US adults have IBD, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of the disease is increasing in the US and other Western countries for unknown reasons. One potential explanation is the so-called hygiene hypothesis.
“The hygiene hypothesis …