Are We Becoming Too Clean?

Just take a moment to think about the many different cleaning products,
anti-bacterial hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial soaps and wipes on the
market. Then add this to the antibiotics you might be exposed to, in
your food and by prescription and the fact that most of the food supply
is pasteurised or otherwise treated to remove both good and bad
bacteria. And then ask yourself; 'are we as a society becoming rather
obsessed with cleanliness and hygiene and is this really doing our
health any good?'

Alarmingly, the real truth of the matter is that as society in general
becomes more "sterile," it is causing real problems for our immune
systems, which are becoming increasingly unable to differentiate between
real threats and harmless things like pollen and dust-mites.

Before reaching for every single anti-bacterial product in existence,
think about the impact for future generations. An overly sterile immune
system is not necessarily such a good thing. Children's immune systems
are not being exposed to bacteria and viruses like they were in the
past, which may result in an excessive immune response against something
routine such as a peanut, and can result in allergies and autoimmune
diseases.

Trust your grandmother when she tells you that a little bit of dirt is
good for you.
Numerous studies have provided very compelling evidence that your body
actually benefits from regular exposure to dirt. Being exposed to a bit
of bacteria means that the immune system can do what it's supposed to:
develop a tolerance to it. This is what has been found so far:

- Children who grow up in extremely clean homes are more likely to
develop asthma and hay fever than children who grow up on farms or in
houses with a little bit of dirt, according to a 2002 study in The New
England Journal of Medicine.

- Children who are overly hygienic are at an increased risk of
developing wheezing (a symptom of asthma) and eczema. A study in the
Archives of Disease in Childhood found that children with the highest
degree of personal hygiene, i.e. those who washed their faces and hands
more than five times per day, cleaned before meals, and bathed more than
twice each day, were the most likely to develop eczema and wheezing.

- Children who are raised with pets, or who have older siblings, are
less likely to develop allergies, possibly because they are exposed to
more bacteria.

From the Nutri Newsletter