Toronto, Feb 18 (IANS): Are you making the environment and water a bit too clean for your kids? Beware! You may be depriving them of the good microbes that may protect them against various illness, researchers warn.

In a shocking revelation, Canadian researchers have found that children with access to clean drinking water may be at an increased risk of developing asthma in childhood than those who do not.

They also suggested a link between the risk of asthma and a super clean environment (air).

"Those that had access to good, clean water had much higher asthma rates and we think it is because they were deprived of the beneficial microbes," said Brett Finlay, a microbiologist at University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada.

"That was a surprise because we tend to think that clean is good but we realise that we actually need some dirt in the world to help protect you," Finlay added.

The study also showed that while gut bacteria plays a role in preventing asthma, it was the presence of a microscopic fungus or yeast known as Pichia that was more strongly linked to the respiratory condition.

"Children with Pichia were much more at risk of asthma," Finlay noted, adding "instead of helping to prevent asthma, its presence in those early days puts children at risk."

The researcher said this while presenting the details at the 2017 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Boston.

The study may help in understanding the role of microscopic organisms in our overall health.