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Scientists seeking funding for a new study hope to prove that a dog’s wet and sloppy kiss could offer the same health benefits as a cup of yogurt.
The University of Arizona is seeking volunteers and funding for a novel study that will determine whether dogs have a probiotic effect on humans.
The scientists involved with the study believe that dogs may offer probiotic benefits to people, similar to eating yogurt or taking a probiotic supplement. Previous studies have shown that dog owners often share the same good strains of bacteria as their dogs. Children who are raised around dogs tend to have less immune-related disorders, such as asthma and allergies.
The new study will focus on older adults, to see if the results found in children can be replicated in this population that is susceptible to serious, life-threatening infections. While antibiotics are quite successful in destroying disease-causing bacteria, the drugs also kill off the good bacteria strains, which is why supplementing the body with probiotics is deemed important by scientists.
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