Grub is good for children

Grub is good for children - 06/05/2008

Children should be "out in the dirt" to help them develop a good immune system, one industry expert has claimed.

Recent research by the National Research Centre for Environmental Health in Munich found that children living with a dog are at less of a risk of developing allergies.

Allergens such as pollen, mould and house-dust mites are thought to be brought in on dogs' fur, increasing a child's exposure and helping build up their immune system.

However professor of immunology and allergy at the Cardiff School of Health Sciences, Ken Jones, warns against deliberately exposing children to harmful organisms.

But he told the Times: "Being out in the dirt is probably not too bad a thing."

While a house with a dog and a dirty youngster could require upholstery cleaners to help with the sofa cleaning, carpet cleaning and rug cleaning, parents can at least rest assured that their child has a healthy immune system.