A recent Canadian study finds the disinfectants we’re using in our homes could make kids fat.
In the past few decades, scientists say asthma, Type 1 diabetes, obesity and other diseases are sharply on the rise among kids, so what has changed?
The study, which was only examining childhood obesity, finds that disinfectants are changing the bacteria in the stomachs of children and that may later lead to obesity.
It’s very compelling research, according to Dr. Geoffrey Preidis, a pediatric gastroenterologist from Texas Children’s Hospital. But he’s not convinced.
“We still don’t know what is causing that link, and it could be a lot of other things that were not accounted for,” Preidis says. “Specific types of cleaners, they might also encourage their children to run around outside and exercise as opposed to spending hours in front of a television or a screen.”
He does agree with one part of the study, he said: We may be too sterile.
“Several hundred years ago many of our ancestors lived on farms … there was no refrigeration, no electricity. So that is one of the key changes that many people are pointing to that could be driving this increased risk of certain diseases,” Preidis said.
