It's a dirty little secret - Dirt and germs are not so bad for kids!

Researchers say that keeping kids squeaky clean can make them prone to developing cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.

Find out why dirt and germs are actually good

Did you know that dirt and germs can actually be good for your children? Yes you read right!

While it’s true that cleanliness is a virtue, too much of it can actually be bad for your kids. According to researchers from the Northwestern University in Chicago, keeping kids squeaky clean can make them prone to developing cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.

In their study, these researchers tried to look at how exposure to germs during childhood affected the body’s immune system.

To be able to see the importance of this study, first let’s try to look at how the body works: When the body detects infectious bacteria attacking a certain area, its natural response is to cause inflammation in the surrounding tissue. This is its way of defending itself.

This study tells us that super clean environments can lead to higher levels of inflammation. Over inflammation is not good for the body as it can cause high blood pressure and heart disease. So if the body is constantly exposed to infectious bacteria, its defence system is damaged. This results to lesser inflammation in the future which means lower risk for cardiovascular diseases.

So the next time you see your kids covered with dirt and mud, don’t panic. Just remember that it is actually good for their health to be dirty once in a while. Plus by drumming down dirt as a bad four letter word for kids, we are actually interrupting a kid’s natural impulse of exploring and experimenting.

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

Written by

Karen Mira

childrenparentingchilddirtgermsdirtyclean environmentcleanlinessparentcleanmudbetter for kidsexposed to germs