Stop nagging the kids about sucking their thumbs and biting their nails … It’s actually good for them
A new study has shown the common habits will lead to long term benefits
IF “stop sucking your thumb” and “Don’t bit your nails” are frequent nags in your household, it’s time to hold fire.
It turns out these two common habits are actually GOOD for kids.
A new study has shown that thumb-sucking and nail-biting in childhood can protect against allergies in adulthood.
Children who did either were significantly less likely to grow up with common allergies including house dust mites, grass, mould and fur.
The two habits – which develop in the womb – boosts the immune sustem by exposing them to germs from an early age.
The study, led by the University of Otago in New Zealand and published in Pediatrics, following the progress of 1,037 participants from birth through to adulthood.
Parents reported their children's habits when their children were aged five, seven, nine and 11 and they were then tested for allergies at the ages of 13 and 32.
RELATED STORIES
Kids of 13 who had sucked their thumbs or bit their nails had a 38 per cent allergy risk compared with 49 per cent in those who had neither habit. The children who did BOTH were even lower risk – at 31 per cent.
The findings go along with the “hygiene theory”, which suggests early exposure to germs and microbes helps prevent allergy and boost immunity.
A sterile atmosphere means that, in the absence of germs, the immune system turns on allergens instead.
Prof Malcolm Sears, from McMaster University in Canada: “While we don’t recommend that these habits should be encouraged, there does appear to be a positive side."
