New study based on the 'hygiene hypothesis' suggest link between this chore and the development of a child's immune system.
A new study published in the academic journal Pediatrics demonstrates a possible link between families that wash dishes by hand and their children’s immune systems. Indeed, kids living in such homes are up to 40 percent less likely to have any allergies than kids in homes with dishwashers, according to one of the study’s researchers Dr. Bill Hesselmar from the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Previous studies have shown that dishes washed by hand are not as clean as dishes washed in a machine. However, this recent Swedish study is the first to link dishwashing methods with the development of a child’s immune system.
The scientists surveyed over 1,000 Swedish children between the ages of 7 and 8. They questioned the parents and guardians about the families dishwashing habits and how often the children participated in the chore. The team found that children had fewer allergies in hand-washing homes. 23 percent of these children had eczema compared to 38 percent of children in machine-washing homes.
The logic behind this research is based on the “hygiene hypothesis.” This formulation states that exposing children at an early age to various infectious agents enhances the natural development of their immune system. Lack of exposure has been linked to an increased risk of allergies. Early lifestyle influences such as having a pet, playing outdoors, or eating fish have been linked to lower instances of allergic diseases.
“If you are exposed to microbes, especially early in life, you stimulate the immune system in various ways and it becomes tolerant,” said Dr. Hesselmar. He went on to say that the team believed that hand-washing dishes “might be important, but we didn’t know, so we asked that question.”
The study is just the first step in this line of research. As of yet, no direct line of causality has been proven. Hand-washing dishes is often linked with other lifestyle considerations which may affect a child’s exposure to microbes. For instance, families in low-income homes, crowded living situations, and/ or with immigrant status- aspects that have also been associated with increased exposure to microbes- tend to wash dishes by hand rather than with a machine. Further research needs to be done before anything conclusive can be determined.
