Children Raised on Small Dairy Farms Develop 90% Fewer Allergies :

A new study published in Sweden shows that children who live on small dairy farms run one-tenth the risk of developing allergies as other children. This study confirms the same results observed among small Amish dairy farms last year, where the drinking of farm-fresh raw milk was shown to be a cure for many allergies. (See: N.Y. Times Admits Raw Milk is Cure For Allergies)

While this current study does not mention the consumption of fresh raw milk, it did specifically study children on small rural dairy farms in Sweden. These children developed a better immunity against allergies (birch, timothy, mugwort, dog, cat, horse, house dust mite, cow’s milk, hen’s egg, fish, wheat, soy, and peanut were all measured). The authors of the study suspect that the development of a healthy gut flora, as a result from living on the farm and being exposed to many different types of bacteria, is a major factor in developing immunity to allergies. Surely this included drinking farm-fresh raw dairy products.

While the study did not mention the size of the dairy farms where the children were residing (other than the fact that these “small”  farms were the Skaraborg region in South-West Sweden), the Swedish Dairy Association reports that the average herd size for dairy farms in Sweden is less than 70 head, with the majority of dairy farms being less than 50 head of cows.

So these results could not be expected to be the same as children living on large CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) producing commercial milk here in the U.S.

Children on dairy farms run one-tenth the risk of developing allergies; Dairy farm exposure also beneficial during pregnancy

by ScienceDaily ;

Excerpts:

Children who live on farms that produce milk run one-tenth the risk of developing allergies as other rural children. According to researchers at The University of Gothenburg in Sweden, pregnant women may benefit from spending time on dairy farms to promote maturation of the fetal and neonatal immune system.

The occurrence of allergic diseases has risen dramatically in Western societies. One frequently cited reason is that children are less exposed to microorganisms and have fewer infections than previous generations, thereby delaying maturation of the immune system.

A study by researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, monitored children until the age of three to examine maturation of the immune system in relation to allergic disease. All of the children lived in rural areas of the Västra Götaland Region, half of them on farms that produced milk.

The study found that children on dairy farms ran a much lower risk of developing allergies than the other children.

Source   : Health Impact News