Question

The hygiene hypothesis assumes:

(A) a lack of hygiene increases rates of allergies and autoimmune diseases
(B) the environment experienced by many modern human societies is much different from the environment experience over most of our evolutionary history
(C) our immune systems do not react strongly enough to parasites and pathogens because we are exposed to fewer of them in early childhood
(D) none of the above

Answer 1

The hygiene hypothesis suggests that a sterilized environment option (b) in developed countries leads to a lack of exposure to pathogens, causing the immune system to overreact to harmless antigens. This overreaction is thought to be responsible for increased rates of allergies and autoimmune diseases.

Step-by-step explanation:

The hygiene hypothesis assumes that the environment experienced by many modern human societies is much different from the environment experienced over most of our evolutionary history. This divergence from historical conditions, where humans were exposed to a wide variety of pathogens, now results in our immune systems reacting to harmless antigens, due to the diminished exposure to infectious organisms in early childhood.

Hence, the correct answer is (B) the environment experienced by many modern human societies is much different from the environment experienced over most of our evolutionary history.