Growing up around dogs could reduce Crohn's disease risk, researchers say

BOSTON - Man's best friend could be your toddler's as well. A new study finds that children who grow up around dogs may have healthier guts.

Researchers at the University of Toronto collected information on the relatives of nearly 4,300 people with Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition. They found that growing up around dogs or having a large family seemed to offer some protection against developing Crohn's.

The thought is that dogs expose children to an array of microbes or germs which help build a robust immune system, a stronger gut lining, and a healthy balance between gut bacteria and the body's immune response. For unclear reasons, the same was not found for cats.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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