Study: Day Care May Help Your Child Avoid Cancer
Posted April 28, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s an astounding statement to make: sending your kid to daycare can help them avoid leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. But researchers insist there’s reason to believe it’s true and claim to have the evidence to back up the assertion.
Research from the University of California, Berkeley claims youngsters who attend the social group have about a 30 per cent lower risk of developing the disease. But scientists admit they still haven’t entirely figured out the reason.
One long held theory – exposing children to common infections like the flu, mumps and colds early in life builds their immune systems and makes them less likely to get more serious aliments as they grow older.
Head researcher Dr. Patricia Buffler examined 14 studies of more than 6,100 kids who contracted the cancer and over 13,000 others who didn’t. Some were in daycare, others weren’t.
She also looked at the duration and extent of the contacts the kids made with each other and discovered that 12 of the studies indicated some kind of a protective effect from the social interaction. Two found no effect but none registered an increased risk of childhood leukemia.
“Our analysis concluded that children who attended day care or play groups had about a 30 per cent lower risk of developing leukemia than those who did not,” Buffler explains. “Combined results for studies of day care attendance specifically before the age of 1 or 2 showed a similarly reduced risk.”
The disease is the most common form of cancer in children, affecting about one in 2,000 youngsters. What’s more, other potential health benefits linked to daycare from other studies include reduced risk of Hodgkin’s-Lymphoma, asthma and fewer overall childhood colds.
Similar studies:
Other resources for parents:
Immune System Boosters For Children
Health and Safety Information For Preschoolers
