Asthma rates have doubled in Western society every 20 years for the last 60, however science now suggests we might be able to combat it early on.
There’s the potential to eradicate it by manipulating gut bacteria in the first month of a baby’s life.
Scientists tracked the development of children up to age four and then went back and looked at the associations between their gut bacteria and the development of asthma and allergies.
They found some of these children (a small group) were three times as likely to have asthma and allergies.
The researchers discovered that the microbes were not producing certain types of lipids that help the immune system develop properly.
Massey University Biomolecular Senior Lecturer, Heather Hendrickson, explained to Paul this morning.
