Parents will do anything and everything they can to protect their children, from ensuring a sanitary environment to safe food and water supply. To guarantee that only clean hands touch their child, but are we taking cleanliness too far?
What is Hygiene Hypothesis? The hygiene hypothesis is a hypothesis introduced by David Strachan in 1989. He came up with this idea to explain why we see so many people getting allergies in the 20th century. According to the Mayo Clinic, this hypothesis posits that early childhood exposure to germs and certain diseases aids in the development of the immune system.
Exposure to some bacteria, in theory, educates the immune system not to overreact. According to the hygiene hypothesis, a child's surroundings can be "too clean," and a lack of germ encounters prevents the immune system from developing disease resistance.
This points out that a bit of dirt won't hurt. According to the hygiene theory, children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds end up with lesser allergies or even auto-immune diseases and appear healthier. "To develop and maintain good immunity, we must be exposed to a certain number of viruses or illnesses," says Dr. Polang of the Mayo Clinic.
This hypothesis suggests that certain bacteria must be introduced to children to affect the appropriate immunological response and establish a healthy immune system. And having a too clean atmosphere can impede this in various ways.
According to the United States, Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) "The hygiene hypothesis" is backed by epidemiologic research that shows allergic disorders and asthma are more likely to arise when endotoxin (bacterial lipopolysaccharide, or LPS) levels in the home are low. LPS is a bacterial chemical that stimulates and educates the immune system by triggering signals through a molecular "switch" on particular immune system cells called TLR4.
Since Strachan's 1989 formulation of the hygiene hypothesis, research has progressed from observational theory to experimental therapy, exemplifying the scientific method in health research. The hygiene hypothesis has since been expanded to include commensal and symbiotic gut bacteria, which are essential in human immunological development, and parasitic helminths, which are promising therapeutic targets for immune dysregulation (Stiemsma et al., 2015).
Throughout the first several months of life, children's intestinal microbiota compositions change dramatically; consequently, it may be able soon to modify the gut microbial composition utilizing pro-, pre-, and synbiotics toward a microbiota that promotes immunological tolerance through exposure.
When a disease, or a set of conditions, spreads fast without an apparent reason, it sparks an investigation to determine the cause so that preventive measures can be established. Parents attend to this with great regard and consideration. Putting their children’s health first in line.
However, we should not put our children's health solely in the hands of the hygiene hypothesis. After all, it is still simply a hypothesis that can be proven false. The most excellent strategy to boost immunity is maintaining a healthy lifestyle, food, and nutrition. Furthermore, remember that a bit of dirt won't hurt, as the hygiene hypothesis holds. (CMU BSND OJT Junice Espinosa / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 09631090198)
References:
Access NCBI through the World Wide Web (WWW). (1995). Molecular Biotechnology, 3(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02821338
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. (2018, March 23). Asthma: The Hygiene Hypothesis. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/asthma-hygiene-hypothesis#:%7E:text=One%20of%20the%20many%20explanations,found%20in%20the%20developed%20world.
Chen, X. (n.d.). Respiratory tract mucous membrane microecology and asthma. https://Atm.Amegroups.Com. https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/29616/html
Hygiene hypothesis: Does early germ exposure prevent asthma? (2021, April 20). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-asthma/expert-answers/hygiene-hypothesis/faq-20058102#:%7E:text=The%20hygiene%20hypothesis%20proposes%20that,immune%20system%20not%20to%20overreact.
Park, K. (2017, April 28). Why have food allergies become so common? Spoon University. https://spoonuniversity.com/healthier/why-have-food-allergies-become-so-common
