Hygiene Hypothesis News and Research

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The hygiene hypothesis is also sometimes referred to as the biome depletion theory, or the “old friends” theory, is a hypothesis that states that the cause of allergic disease may be immune intolerance resulting from inadequate exposure to parasites and microbes in childhood.

Microbiota blocks the immune cells responsible for triggering allergies

The human body is inhabited by billions of symbiotic bacteria, carrying a diversity that is unique to each individual. The microbiota is involved in many mechanisms, including digestion, vitamin synthesis and host defense.

12 Jul 2015

New study finds link between father's age at birth and child's risk of blood cancer as an adult

A new study links a father's age at birth to the risk that his child will develop blood and immune system cancers as an adult, particularly for only children. The study, which appears in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found no association between having an older mother and these cancers.

12 May 2015

Henry Ford researchers say that breastfeeding influences baby's immune system development

Henry Ford Hospital researchers say that breastfeeding and other factors influence a baby's immune system development and susceptibility to allergies and asthma by what's in their gut.

23 Feb 2015

Stomach ulcer bug H. pylori may reduce risk of developing multiple sclerosis

A West Australian team has found evidence that the stomach ulcer bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, is associated with a lower risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), bolstering evidence for the role of the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ in autoimmune disorders.

21 Jan 2015

Study suggests that common gut microbe may control risk of developing MS

A common gut microbe might curb the risk of developing multiple sclerosis--at least in women--suggests the largest study of its kind published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

20 Jan 2015

Food allergies in inner-city children: an interview with Dr. Robert Wood

The general interest is in trying to better define the true prevalence of food allergy; not just how common it is, but whether it's becoming more common over time.

22 Sep 2014

Young inner-city children appear to suffer from food allergies

Already known for their higher-than-usual risk of asthma and environmental allergies, young inner-city children appear to suffer disproportionately from food allergies as well, according to results of a study led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

15 Aug 2014

Food allergies more common in young inner-city children

15 Aug 2014

Researchers examine impact of birth on development of immune system in newborn mice

A number of studies suggest that children delivered by Caesarean section have a different intestinal flora than children delivered by natural birth.

10 Jul 2014

Infants exposed to bacterial species in house dust are less likely to develop asthma

Infants exposed to a diverse range of bacterial species in house dust during the first year of life appear to be less likely to develop asthma in early childhood, according to a new study published online on June 6, 2014, in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

9 Jun 2014

Reduced exposure to microbes triggers chronic inflammation

The greater prevalence of asthma, allergies and other chronic inflammatory disorders among people of lower socioeconomic status might be due in part to their reduced exposure to the microbes that thrive in rural environments, according to a new scientific paper.

25 Apr 2014

Salmonella infections can reduce incidence of asthma, say researchers

Researchers from Germany have identified the mechanism by which Salmonella infections can reduce the incidence of asthma in mice. The research, which appears ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity, opens up new avenues of research that could lead to treatments.

24 Jan 2014

Standards of hygiene may also contribute to development of auto-immune diseases in children

The incidence of auto-immune diseases like type 1 diabetes and allergies has risen dramatically in developed countries over the past fifty years. The reasons for this trend are not fully understood but a theory known as the 'hygiene hypothesis' links it to a rise in hygiene standards.

9 Jan 2014

TB vaccine may help prevent multiple sclerosis

A vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis in other parts of the world may help prevent multiple sclerosis in people who show the beginning signs of the disease, according to a new study published in the December 4, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

5 Dec 2013

Parasites could be potential key to treating autoimmune diseases

There is a new weapon in the fight against autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and lupus, the common trait of which is an immune system that attacks its own organs and tissues.

10 Sep 2013

High-income and better hygiene countries exhibit much higher rates of Alzheimer's

New research has found a "very significant" relationship between a nation's wealth and hygiene and the Alzheimer's "burden" on its population. High-income, highly industrialised countries with large urban areas and better hygiene exhibit much higher rates of Alzheimer's.

5 Sep 2013

Swedish researchers report simple habit to protect against allergy development in children

Allergies are very common in industrialized countries. It has been suggested that exposure to harmless bacteria during infancy may be protective against the development of allergy. However, it has been difficult to pinpoint which bacteria a baby should be exposed to, and at what time and by which route this exposure should ideally occur.

8 May 2013

Parents tend to share more bacteria with their dogs than their children

As much as dog owners love their children, they tend to share more of themselves, at least in terms of bacteria, with their canine cohorts rather than their kids.

18 Apr 2013

Study: Two-thirds of asthmatics also have allergy

Asthma is becoming an epidemic in the United States. The number of Americans diagnosed with asthma grows annually, with 26 million currently affected. And according to a new study, nearly two-thirds or more of all asthmatics also have an allergy, which can make this spring season particularly bothersome.

2 Apr 2013

Researchers study gene variants that bear signature for inflammatory disease susceptibility

In new research published in the April 4, 2013 issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital demonstrate that some variants in our genes that could put a person at risk for inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease or rheumatoid arthritis, have been the target of natural selection over the course of human history.

25 Mar 2013