Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Subscribe
YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Science says exercise can make you happier than money can

Science says exercise can make you happier than money can

How to keep fit at any age

How to keep fit at any age

9 things you can do to lower your risk of dementia

9 things you can do to lower your risk of dementia

How you should be taking care of your health this January

How you should be taking care of your health this January

{headline}

{headline}

Women sleep better with their dog beside them

Women sleep better with their dog beside them

Study reveals the health benefits of reading a (real) book

Study reveals the health benefits of reading a (real) book

How to avoid 3 of the most common Christmas stress-triggers

How to avoid 3 of the most common Christmas stress-triggers

{headline}

{headline}

Study proves dog owners live longer, happier lives

Study proves dog owners live longer, happier lives

Research finds wearing comfy clothes on a bad day can make you feel worse

Research finds wearing comfy clothes on a bad day can make you feel worse

Feel better in 5 simple steps

Feel better in 5 simple steps

How to tell if your mental health needs some extra attention

How to tell if your mental health needs some extra attention

The benefits of taking a mental health day

The benefits of taking a mental health day

Study finds negative people are more likely to sleep poorly

Study finds negative people are more likely to sleep poorly

Eating dinner really early is the key to lasting weight loss

Eating dinner really early is the key to lasting weight loss

  1. Home
  2. Better Life

Could growing up with pets be the secret to health and happiness?

Science says yes. - by Lucy Bode
  • 30 Aug 2019
Could growing up with pets be the secret to health and happiness?
Getty

All parents want their kids to grow up happy and healthy. And it turns out that the secret is much simpler than you'd think.

According to a new study from the University of Ulm and CU Boulder, children raised in the countryside surrounded by animals are at less risk of developing a mental illness than their pet-free city-dwelling counterparts. 

Why? Because being in nature exposes them to bacteria-laden dust that helps strengthen their immune systems and better enables them to deal with stress.

Dog and boy
Getty

“It has already been very well documented that exposure to pets and rural environments during development is beneficial in terms of reducing risk of asthma and allergies later in life,” professor of integrative physiology at CU Boulder Christopher Lowry and they study’s author told Daily Mail.

“This study moves the conversation forward by showing for the first time in humans that these same exposures are likely to be important for mental health.”

Dog and kids on bed
Getty

40 German men aged 20 to 40-years-old participated in the study. Half were raised on a farm, while the rest were city folk. To test their stress levels, they were asked to do two things: give a speech in front of a group of people and solve a math equation with limited time to do so. The men also provided blood and saliva samples so the researchers could monitor their immune response.

The results were clear: those who grew up in urban areas had much higher levels of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

“People who grew up in an urban environment had a much-exaggerated induction of the inflammatory immune response to the stressor, and it persisted throughout the two-hour period,” Professor Lowry explained in the report. 

“If you are not exposed to these types of organisms, then your immune system doesn’t develop a balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory forces and you can develop chronic, low-grade inflammation and exaggerated immune reactivity that makes you vulnerable to allergy, autoimmune disease and, we, propose, psychiatric disorders.”

This article first appeared on Women's Health

WATCH! Thinking of getting a new puppy? Get Dr Harry's Dos and Don'ts

You might also like:

The secret to health and happiness

This new pet bed could cure anxiety in dogs and cats

This new toy helps to battle pet anxiety

  • Health
  • Pets
  • Better Life
Lucy Bode
Lucy Bode
Lucy Bode is a writer, social media guru and resident woo. A long black lover and foodie at heart, she considers peanut butter an hourly staple and believes chardonnay is the superior drop. When she's not at the beach, barre or yoga studio you'll find her coming up with new and improved ways to kill her unkillable houseplants.

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

Science says exercise can make you happier than money can

Science says exercise can make you happier than money can

How to keep fit at any age

How to keep fit at any age

9 things you can do to lower your risk of dementia

9 things you can do to lower your risk of dementia

How you should be taking care of your health this January

How you should be taking care of your health this January

{headline}

{headline}

Women sleep better with their dog beside them

Women sleep better with their dog beside them

Study reveals the health benefits of reading a (real) book

Study reveals the health benefits of reading a (real) book

How to avoid 3 of the most common Christmas stress-triggers

How to avoid 3 of the most common Christmas stress-triggers

{headline}

{headline}

Study proves dog owners live longer, happier lives

Study proves dog owners live longer, happier lives

Research finds wearing comfy clothes on a bad day can make you feel worse

Research finds wearing comfy clothes on a bad day can make you feel worse

Feel better in 5 simple steps

Feel better in 5 simple steps

How to tell if your mental health needs some extra attention

How to tell if your mental health needs some extra attention

The benefits of taking a mental health day

The benefits of taking a mental health day

Study finds negative people are more likely to sleep poorly

Study finds negative people are more likely to sleep poorly

Eating dinner really early is the key to lasting weight loss

Eating dinner really early is the key to lasting weight loss

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Shop This Offer
Get your mag delivered!