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Natural Awakenings National

Why People Need Germs: Ease off the Soap

Parents should ease up on antibacterial soaps and wipes and perhaps allow their little ones a romp or two in the mud—or at least more of an acquaintance with everyday germs, suggests a Northwestern University long-term study. Exposure to germs in childhood, the researchers observe, helps develop the immune system and may help prevent cardiovascular and other diseases in adulthood. Such early exposure, they note, promotes the body’s own ability to regulate inflammation, a root cause associated with many diseases.

“Now, for the first time in the history of our species, our bodies are being deprived of exposure to those everyday germs, because we live in such a sanitary environment,” explains lead author Thomas McDade, of Northwestern. “Think about the immune system as [one] that needs information from the environment to guide its development and function; if you live in a rich microbial environment, you get exposed to lots of germs, and that helps your immune system develop.”
 

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