Dogs & Gut Health
I’ve got something uplifting and helpful for you, especially if you’re trying to convince your partner to get a dog. If you’re already a puppy owner, give that pooch a big kiss on the mouth because this episode is for you.
Sources
https://royalsocietypublishing.org
https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com
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Transcript
Okay, no bad news today — I’ve got something uplifting and helpful for you, especially if you’re trying to convince your partner to get a dog. If you’re already a puppy owner, give that pooch a big kiss on the mouth because this episode is for you.
There is growing concern among doctors and scientists that we have all become too sanitized for our own good. This, of course, was being more popularly discussed before the pandemic hit but the fact remains, we’re banishing bacteria from our homes that is both useful and important to our gut health. Basically, we run the risk of disinfecting, vacuuming and scrubbing out the mix of microscopic bacteria that our immune system needs to develop properly.
This oversantization was one of my main concerns when the pandemic first hit — I talked about this in the cleaning supplies episode. Because yes, it’s important to stop the spread of germs causing COVID-19 but the excessive use of hand sanitizer and bleach is deteriorating our own immune response and natural defense mechanisms.
A healthy gut microbiome, which essentially dictates our health as a whole, is dependent on good bacteria which we’re wiping out.
But for people with dogs, and even outdoor cats, it’s not as much of a problem.
In fact, research is showing that the countless germs and microbes that dogs track into the home from outside, may be working to keep their humans healthy. Studies also show that children who grow up in households with dogs have a lower risk for developing asthma, allergies and other autoimmune illnesses.
Another study from the University of Alberta was especially mind-blowing, pregnant women who are around a dog three months before they give birth improves a baby’s immunity even before they’re born.
The study also determined that exposure to pets up to three months after birth increases the number of two specific bacteria that are linked to reduced childhood allergies and obesity.
Dogs and cats have shown to improve human health at any stage of life, so even if you missed the pregnancy to three month old infant range, there are still many benefits for your gut microbiome when it comes to having pets in the home. The last link in the show notes under sources explains all of those various benefits. You can find it at cleanlivingpodcast.com/dogs
We don’t have any pets, but the health benefits for kids are enough to honestly tempt me.
Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today please share with a friend who loves dogs and babies. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.
