According to a new study, children who grow up in households with dogs are less likely to suffer from childhood asthma compared to those raised in homes without dogs. However, keeping cats does not appear to have the same effect.

Bizimyol.info reports that researchers at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in Canada analyzed dust samples collected from the homes of 1,050 infants aged three to four months and followed the children until the age of five. During this period, 6.6 percent of participants were diagnosed with asthma.

The findings revealed that children exposed to higher levels of the Can f1 allergen—found in dog skin, fur, and saliva—had a 48 percent lower risk of developing asthma. These children also demonstrated better lung function, measured by the volume of air they could exhale in one second after taking a deep breath.

This protective effect was particularly evident in children genetically predisposed to weaker lung function. In contrast, no such benefit was observed in children exposed to cat allergens or bacterial endotoxins.

Researchers emphasize that these results open up new possibilities for preventing childhood asthma. However, they also stress the need for further studies to better understand how living with pets influences the long-term development of children’s respiratory systems.

Reported by Qadir, Bizimyol.info