Latest news with #dogownership
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Study shows what a pet dog can do to save your child's skin from eczema
A new study suggests that children with a genetic predisposition to eczema may benefit from having a pet dog at home. Researchers found that early exposure to dogs could have a protective effect against the skin condition, which causes itchy skin. However, the academics stressed that the study did not examine the impact of dog exposure on existing eczema. They also warned that introducing a dog could worsen symptoms in some children. Atopic eczema is typically caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but how the two interact is not well understood. An international team of researchers, including academics from the University of Edinburgh, examined data on 280,000 people to investigate whether those who are genetically more likely to develop eczema might respond differently to environmental factors, such as pet ownership, whether they were breastfed or had siblings. They found that children with a change in their DNA that increases their chance of developing eczema were less likely to have the condition if they were exposed to a dog in early life. 'We detected an observational association between early-life dog exposure and reduction in prevalence of atopic eczema,' the international team of researchers wrote in the journal Allergy. Researchers performed an initial analysis on more than 25,000 people, which suggested there could be an interaction between seven environmental factors – antibiotic use, cat ownership, dog ownership, breastfeeding, elder sibling, smoking and washing practices – and at least one genetic variant for eczema. Secondary analysis on data on almost 255,000 people suggested that there was a 'nominally significant' link between having a dog in early years, and a variation in genetic code located near a protein involved in immune cell function and inflammation, called interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R). Experts said that the findings suggest that the IL-7R protein may provide a potential target for future treatment or prevention of eczema. Professor Sara Brown, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: 'The most difficult questions I'm asked by parents in clinic are about why their child has eczema, and how they can help. 'We know that genetic make-up affects a child's risk of developing eczema, and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level. 'More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations.' Dr Marie Standl, from Helmholtz Munich, said 'This study sheds light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others don't. 'Not every preventive measure works for everyone, and that's precisely why gene-environment studies are crucial. 'They help us move toward more personalised, effective prevention strategies.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Dogs could stop children developing eczema
Having a pet dog could help prevent eczema in children who are genetically predisposed to the condition, according to a new study. Academics have said having a pet dog in 'early life' could have a 'protective effect'. But they stressed the study did not look at the effect dog exposure could have on existing eczema, and cautioned that introducing a dog could make symptoms worse among some children. Atopic eczema is a common skin condition that causes itchy skin. Researchers said the condition is caused by a combination of both genetic and environmental factors, but little is known about how the two interact. An international team of researchers, including academics from the University of Edinburgh, examined data on 280,000 people to investigate whether those who are genetically more likely to develop eczema might respond differently to environmental factors, such as pet ownership, whether they were breastfed or had siblings. They found children with a change in their DNA that increases their chance of developing eczema were less likely to have the condition if they were exposed to a dog in early life. 'We detected an observational association between early-life dog exposure and reduction in prevalence of atopic eczema,' the international team of researchers wrote in the journal, Allergy. Researchers performed an initial analysis on more than 25,000 people, which suggested there could be an interaction between seven environmental factors – antibiotic use, cat ownership, dog ownership, breastfeeding, elder sibling, smoking and washing practices – and at least one genetic variant for eczema. Secondary analysis on data on almost 255,000 people suggested there was a 'nominally significant' link between having a dog in early years, and a variation in genetic code located near a protein involved in immune cell function and inflammation called interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R). Experts said the findings suggest the IL-7R protein may provide a potential target for future treatment or prevention of eczema. 'Gene-environment studies are crucial' Professor Sara Brown, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: 'The most difficult questions I'm asked by parents in clinic are about why their child has eczema, and how they can help. 'We know that genetic make-up affects a child's risk of developing eczema, and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level. 'More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations.' Dr Marie Standl, from Helmholtz Munich, said 'This study sheds light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others don't. 'Not every preventive measure works for everyone, and that's precisely why gene-environment studies are crucial. 'They help us move toward more personalised, effective prevention strategies.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
The surprising health benefit of having a pet dog when you are a child
A new study suggests that children with a genetic predisposition to eczema may benefit from having a pet dog at home. Researchers found that early exposure to dogs could have a protective effect against the skin condition, which causes itchy skin. However, the academics stressed that the study did not examine the impact of dog exposure on existing eczema. They also warned that introducing a dog could worsen symptoms in some children. Atopic eczema is typically caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but how the two interact is not well understood. An international team of researchers, including academics from the University of Edinburgh, examined data on 280,000 people to investigate whether those who are genetically more likely to develop eczema might respond differently to environmental factors, such as pet ownership, whether they were breastfed or had siblings. They found that children with a change in their DNA that increases their chance of developing eczema were less likely to have the condition if they were exposed to a dog in early life. 'We detected an observational association between early-life dog exposure and reduction in prevalence of atopic eczema,' the international team of researchers wrote in the journal Allergy. Researchers performed an initial analysis on more than 25,000 people, which suggested there could be an interaction between seven environmental factors – antibiotic use, cat ownership, dog ownership, breastfeeding, elder sibling, smoking and washing practices – and at least one genetic variant for eczema. Secondary analysis on data on almost 255,000 people suggested that there was a 'nominally significant' link between having a dog in early years, and a variation in genetic code located near a protein involved in immune cell function and inflammation, called interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R). Experts said that the findings suggest that the IL-7R protein may provide a potential target for future treatment or prevention of eczema. Professor Sara Brown, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: 'The most difficult questions I'm asked by parents in clinic are about why their child has eczema, and how they can help. 'We know that genetic make-up affects a child's risk of developing eczema, and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level. 'More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations.' Dr Marie Standl, from Helmholtz Munich, said 'This study sheds light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others don't. 'Not every preventive measure works for everyone, and that's precisely why gene-environment studies are crucial. 'They help us move toward more personalised, effective prevention strategies.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
A pet dog could potentially prevent eczema in at-risk children
Having a pet dog at home could potentially help prevent eczema in children who are genetically predisposed to the condition, according to a new study. Academics said that having a pet dog in 'early life' could have a 'protective effect'. But they stressed that the study did not look at the effect dog exposure could have on existing eczema, and cautioned that introducing a dog could make symptoms worse among some children. Atopic eczema is a common skin condition that causes itchy skin. Researchers said that the condition is caused by a combination of both genetic and environmental factors, but little is known about how the two interact. An international team of researchers, including academics from the University of Edinburgh, examined data on 280,000 people to investigate whether those who are genetically more likely to develop eczema might respond differently to environmental factors, such as pet ownership, whether they were breastfed or had siblings. They found that children with a change in their DNA that increases their chance of developing eczema were less likely to have the condition if they were exposed to a dog in early life. 'We detected an observational association between early-life dog exposure and reduction in prevalence of atopic eczema,' the international team of researchers wrote in the journal Allergy. Researchers performed an initial analysis on more than 25,000 people, which suggested there could be an interaction between seven environmental factors – antibiotic use, cat ownership, dog ownership, breastfeeding, elder sibling, smoking and washing practices – and at least one genetic variant for eczema. Secondary analysis on data on almost 255,000 people suggested that there was a 'nominally significant' link between having a dog in early years, and a variation in genetic code located near a protein involved in immune cell function and inflammation, called interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R). Experts said that the findings suggest that the IL-7R protein may provide a potential target for future treatment or prevention of eczema. Professor Sara Brown, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer, said: 'The most difficult questions I'm asked by parents in clinic are about why their child has eczema, and how they can help. 'We know that genetic make-up affects a child's risk of developing eczema, and previous studies have shown that owning a pet dog may be protective, but this is the first study to show how this may occur at a molecular level. 'More work is needed, but our findings mean we have a chance to intervene in the rise of allergic disease, to protect future generations.' Dr Marie Standl, from Helmholtz Munich, said 'This study sheds light on why some children develop eczema in response to environmental exposures while others don't. 'Not every preventive measure works for everyone, and that's precisely why gene-environment studies are crucial. 'They help us move toward more personalised, effective prevention strategies.'
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Something has gone wrong in our culture when people opt for ‘fur babies' over real babies
Recent Hungarian research generated a slew of headlines about people choosing dogs over having children. Some went as far as to blame it for the decline in birth rates. Fortunately, the study is much more nuanced. Prof Enikő Kubinyi from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest suggests that the relationship between rates of pet ownership and having children is complex. Dogs don't cause lower fertility. Instead, declining fertility rates may be increasing the importance of dogs in people's lives, with pets filling the emotional space left by fewer children and more fragile family networks. Kubinyi cites an intriguing statistic. If a woman raises two children instead of five, the number of same-generation relatives (siblings and cousins) is reduced, on average, from 44 to five. READ MORE Fewer family connections lead to more fragile real-life social networks. Family relationships create what sociologists call 'closed triangle' connections – situations where all members of a group know each other directly. This builds stronger, more stable social ties. These closed triangles are much less common in friendships. Somewhat ironically, dog ownership can increase the number of closed triangles, because people out walking dogs or discussing them can develop relationships based on their mutual love of pets. The Hungarian researcher is not the first to highlight change in the number of relatives. In China, the one-child policy led to the decline not only in siblings, but in cousins, aunts and uncles. There is also a serious gender imbalance in favour of male children, the so-called emperor children. The one-child policy has become self-reinforcing even though China is now desperate to reverse demographic decline. It may explain why by 2030, China's pets will outnumber children under four by a ratio of two to one. The estimate came from Goldman Sachs , which says the pet market will be worth $12 billion (€10.6 billion) by then. Urban Chinese, in particular, are opting for pets. The same Goldman Sachs report noted that in Japan, there are already 20 million pets, roughly four times the number of humans aged under four. Japan's pet food market is eight times larger than its infant formula market. Kubinyi suggests that many people do not currently experience an optimum level of social connection, leading to greater isolation, depression and loneliness. However, human beings are hard-wired to exist in small yet dense human networks. It is unsurprising, then, that humans turn to companion animals, with their capacity for unconditional love, to fill that need. Dogs are increasingly being bred to have characteristic features like human babies – big eyes, flatter faces and cute cuddliness. As someone who grew up on a farm where dogs were working animals and kept outside, I admit to being nonplussed by people's current relationships with dogs, particularly the first time I saw a dog buggy, complete with what seemed like a perfectly healthy dog being wheeled along. Dog clothes, including Halloween costumes, make me worry for the dog. And what pooch benefits from a puppucino? Pet ownership confers many benefits on humans. It is lovely to see elderly people light up when a dog is brought into a nursing home. But there is something askew in our culture when pets are expected to function either as substitutes for unconditional love, or as babies. Loyal creatures like dogs are not designed to be fur babies, a term that makes me deeply uncomfortable. Dogs are pack animals with strict hierarchies. The pack leader enforces strict boundaries and roles that allow the dog to relax. Expecting dogs to act like substitute humans is unfair to dogs and not great for human prospects, either. One thing that the Hungarian study may overlook is that while it correctly points out that the number of people who view their pets as children is small, it is likely to grow as a trend. Currently in Hungary, despite multiple pronatalist policies such as women who have four children being exempt from income tax for life , only 6.2 per cent of the population is aged under six. As family sizes shrink and childbearing is postponed, many adults do not have young children in their households or extended social networks and this becomes the norm. Anna Rotkirsch, a Finnish demographer , says that having children has moved from a rite of passage into adulthood to a 'capstone' experience – something you do after you have exhausted all the individualised pleasures, such as satisfying work and travel. But women's biology knows nothing about capstones. By the time people feel they are in the right place, or that they can afford children, women's fertility has often declined to the point where it becomes increasingly difficult to conceive. Rotkirsch also points out that it has become socially acceptable to say that you don't like children, and it's the only demographic that you can ever say that about. There is something sad about any society that does not have enough faith in the future to prioritise having children and ensure that women are not penalised for having children earlier. No amount of doggy cuddles will ameliorate the demographic catastrophe we are facing everywhere from Ireland to India.
