If the thought of sucking your baby’s pacifier to clean it and then popping it in your baby’s mouth grosses you out, think again.
If the thought of sucking your baby’s pacifier to clean it and then popping it in your baby’s mouth grosses you out, think again. New research being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting suggests a link between parental sucking on a pacifier and a lower allergic response among young children.
“We interviewed 128 mothers of infants multiple times over a period of 18 months and asked how they cleaned their child’s pacifier,” says allergist Eliane Abou-Jaoude, MD, ACAAI member and lead author on the study conducted by Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. “We found the children of mothers who sucked on the pacifier had lower IgE levels.” IgE is a type of antibody related to allergic responses in the body. Although there are exceptions, higher IgE levels indicate a higher risk of having allergies and allergic asthma.”
Of the 128 mothers completing multiple interviews, 58 percent reported current pacifier use by their child. Of those who had a child using a pacifier, 41 percent reported cleaning by sterilization, 72 percent reported hand washing the pacifier, and 12 percent reported parental pacifier sucking.
Read more at American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
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