Manure is good: New Scientist

ENGLAND – Scientists have proven what many who work in the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry may have suspected for years – manure is good for you.

The New Scientist magazine has reported that working with manure can drastically reduce chances of developing lung cancer, with a study showing that dairy farmers were five times less likely than the general population to develop the disease.

It found farmers typically breathed in dust that consisted largely of dried manure, and all the bacteria that grew in it.

"As strange as it sounds, epidemiologists are starting to uncover unexpected links between our exposure to dirt and germs, and our risk of cancer later in life," the report said.

New Scientist said adults who had a greater exposure to germs than usual might build up a better resistance to bugs, including cancer.

"Some researchers are starting to wonder whether the higher incidence of certain cancers in affluent populations - including breast cancer, lymphoma and melanoma - might also have something to do with sanitised, infection-free living," it said.

"If they're right, the implications are huge. If we can understand exactly what it is about some germs that has a protective effect, we should be able to reduce people's risk of developing certain tumours later in life by exposing them to harmless microbes."