Interesting article by science/nutrition writer Jane Brody in the New York Times about the value of…well…eating dirt.

In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system. Several continuing studies suggest that worms may help to redirect an immune system that has gone awry and resulted in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma.

I have to admit, I got a bit of a chuckle about the “worms” part, as it reminded me of all those ”cleanse/detox” product ads featuring scary parasite pics.  While parasitic infections need to be taken seriously, evidently, there’s an upside:

One leading researcher, Dr. Joel V. Weinstock, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in an interview that the immune system at birth “is like an unprogrammed computer. It needs instruction.”

…Studies he has conducted with Dr. David Elliott, a gastroenterologist and immunologist at the University of Iowa indicate that intestinal worms, which have been all but eliminated in developed countries, are “likely to be the biggest player” in regulating the immune system to respond appropriately, Dr. Elliott said in an interview. He added that bacterial and viral infections seem to influence the immune system in the same way, but not as forcefully.

…In answer to the question, “Are we too clean?” Dr. Elliott said: “Dirtiness comes with a price. But cleanliness comes with a price, too. We’re not proposing a return to the germ-filled environment of the 1850s. But if we properly understand how organisms in the environment protect us, maybe we can give a vaccine or mimic their effects with some innocuous stimulus.”

I know there’ve been some times I’ve freaked people out on the forums I mod, by my comments on the rather…unhygienic methods used to produce certain popular foods (like chocolate)…truth is, it’s a microbial world, and there’s no way to produce 100% pristine food.  All you can really do is put upper limits on the amount of dirt, bug parts, bacteria, mycotoxins and such that show up in the final products…as the recent Salmonella outbreak shows, there is such a thing as being too lax.  But – as it turns out – it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to have completely pure, uncontaminated food, or – by extension – environments, even if we could have them.  A little dirt IS good for the soul…and your health.

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