Parents, do not be afraid to suck.

This is the new research tip that even if they have an unpleasant taste – perhaps literally, depending on where the lollipop fell – could protect infants from allergies.

The findings are presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, to be held until November 19 in Seattle.

His gross?

May be. But mothers who clean lollipops by sucking them off have less allergic infants, according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Video: Principal Investigator Discusses Results

The study interviewed 128 mothers over an 18-month period and asked them how they had cleaned their baby's pacifiers. Of the 74 babies who used one, 72% said they wash them by hand, 41% said they had spayed and 12% spit-cleaned.

Scientists found that babies whose mothers had lollipops cleaned on the spit had lower levels of IgE, an antibody associated with allergic responses. High levels of IgE usually indicate a higher risk of the allergies and allergic asthma.

"We found that sucking the parental pacifier was linked to suppression of IgE levels from about 10 months and continued for 18 months," said Dr. Edward Zoratti. , allergist and co-author of the study. "More research is needed, but we think this effect could be due to the transfer of health-friendly microbes through the parent's mouth."

You follow that? Spread of germs in a parent's mouth was found to stimulate the child's immune system.

The research does not prove the cause and effect, and it is not clear whether the lower IgE production seen in these children will continue in the coming years.

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