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Playgroups may decrease risk of childhood leukemia

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
May 3rd 2008 1:00PM

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Filed under: Babies, Toddlers Preschoolers, Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Babies, In The News, Childcare

New research suggests that children who attend day care or are frequently exposed to other children through playgroups or playdates may be at a decreased risk of developing leukemia.

According to this article from Yahoo, leukemia is thought to be cause by one or two triggers. One is a genetic abnormality. The other is an infection that sets off a chain of events that leaves the body vulnerable to leukemia. Experts theorize that children who are frequently exposed to common childhood illnesses build a stronger immune system, thus "switching off" the second trigger.

Parents of kids in day care or school know how frequently kids get sick when they're around other kids. Look at it this way -- at least there's a silver lining to all those runny noses...a healthy immune system.

Tags: cancer, day care, DayCare, germs, immune system, ImmuneSystem, leukemia, playgroup, school

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