In an interesting study released on Wednesday, US researchers said that children brought up in spic-and-span surroundings during childhood show an increased risk for a number of maladies, like heart disease, later in life. 

To put in conversely, parents who allow their children to prance around in the mud, rather than keeping them scrupulously clean, may actually end up lowering their risk of falling prey to cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.

Elaborating on the findings of the study, lead author, Thomas McDade, of the Northwestern University in Illinois, said: “Our research suggests that ultra-clean, ultra-hygienic environments early in life may contribute to higher levels of inflammation as an adult, which in turn increases risks for a wide range of diseases.”

For their study, which suggests that exposure to infectious microbes in childhood may work as a protection against deadly cardiovascular diseases in adulthood, the researchers examined the manner in which childhood environment affects production of the inflammation-related protein.

They evaluated data pertaining to C-reactive protein production - a protein that rises because of inflammation - from a longitudinal Filipino study that tracked 3,327 people from birth till 22 years. It was found that C-reactive protein was at least 80 percent lower in the blood tests of the study participants in the Philippines when they became adults, vis-à-vis their US counterparts.