A recent study conducted by German researchers has confirmed that babies who sleep on animal fur are less likely to develop asthma and allergies later in life. Christina Tischer and her colleagues at the Helmholtz Center in Munich collected data from an older study conducted in 1998 and re-evaluated it. The study involved 3,000 babies who grew up in the city and were regularly examined throughout their childhood. The researchers compared the collected data with the frequency of asthma in the children and differentiated those who slept on animal fur, such as sheepskin, as babies. The results showed that the risk of developing asthma decreased by 79% in children who slept on animal fur as infants.
Asthma is a disease that is more prevalent in cities. Children who grow up in rural areas or even on farms rarely suffer from respiratory illnesses or allergies. This is because infants are exposed to various microbes and fungi at an early age, allowing their bodies to adapt to environmental hazards. Babies in cities have a harder time with this, which is why the researchers recommend letting infants sleep on sheepskin for the first three months. Although the risk of developing asthma or allergies still increases with age, the risk is significantly reduced for babies who slept on animal fur in their first months of life. At the age of six, the reduction was around 79%, and at the age of ten, it was still 41%.
Previous studies have shown that microbes from rural environments can protect against asthma, and it seems that animal fur acts as a reservoir for these microbes. This is why it protects against asthma and allergies, much like direct contact with animals on farms. Tischer and her colleagues now want to find out which microbes are responsible for this protection.
In conclusion, the study conducted by German researchers has shown that letting babies sleep on animal fur can significantly reduce the risk of developing asthma and allergies later in life. This is particularly important for infants growing up in cities, where the risk of respiratory illnesses is higher. The researchers recommend letting infants sleep on sheepskin for the first three months to help protect them from these illnesses.
