Farm moms may help children beat allergies

TORONTO, May 22 (UPI) -- German researchers say they found newborns of mothers who farmed were more likely to be protected from allergies.

The researchers found expression of the regulatory T cells and associated genes that maintain immune system homeostasis were significantly higher in the blood drawn from the umbilical cord of babies whose moms spent time on a farm -- particularly those who entered barns or drank farm milk.

The findings were presented at the American Thoracic Society's International Conference in Toronto.

The investigators assessed farming exposures and recorded the number of regulatory T cells and their associated genes after stimulating cord blood mononuclear cells with microbial stimuli and allergens.

"We found that the babies of mothers exposed to farms have more and better functioning regulatory T cells," study leader Dr. Bianca Schaub of the University Children's Hospital in Munich, Germany, said in a statement.

The findings support what Schaub calls a "paradigm shift" in the way allergic diseases are thought to develop and it may be possible T regulatory cells are capable of preventing allergic responses early.