Health

Dog Owners Are Less Likely to Have Cardiovascular Diseases

Great news for dog owners! Not only are dogs considered man’s best friend but a recent study shows that they may also contribute to a longer lifespan for their human companions.

The study published in Scientific Reports involved over 3 million Swedes and has concluded that owning a dog lowers the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease and other causes.

In Sweden, dog ownership registration is mandatory, and they used this information to compare to the national registries for all people between the ages of 40 – 80. This age group was chosen to exclude younger people who were a low risk for cardiovascular disease and to also exclude the elderly who were less likely to own a dog. Then they compared the data to hospital visits from a 12 year period.

Single dog owners have shown the most benefit with a 33% reduction in death and 11% reduction in the risk of a heart attack compared to singles which did not own dogs. Single dog owners walked their dog more often than those in households with multiple people. It has also shown that not all household members interact with the dog as much as a single owner does.

Hunting breeds offered the most protection from cardiovascular diseases, most likely because of their active lifestyle. Although, researchers have noted that it could be because more physically active people choose to become owners of the hunting breeds which include popular dogs like hounds, retrievers, terriers, and pointers.

Another way dog ownership can cut cardiovascular risk and death is by lowering stress factors such as depression, social isolation, and loneliness which were all lower in dog owners.

Dogs may also change their owner’s microbiome (microorganisms present in the human body) by exposing people to dog-specific bacteria and changing the dirt in their homes.

The study concluded by saying that their nationwide survey was the most substantial investigation of dog ownership and human health reported to date.

Dog owners can now confidently say that not only do we benefit from all the happiness and love that a dog brings into our hearts but that they also physically make our hearts healthier.

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Bethany Vincent

Bethany Vincent is a writer from La Grange Kentucky who has loved playing with words since she first learned to speak. She lives with her teenage son and adopted dog daughter in a cute, yellow house with a picket fence. During college at the University of Louisville, she could be found at the writing center most of the time and her main areas of focus were literature, creative writing, and visual arts. Bethany has contributed articles and created content for many websites and blogs during her writing career. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, juggle-dancing, yoga, photography, cooking and singing along with her favorite songs while in the car driving. In the future, she plans to finish writing her first book and hopes to travel to all the beautiful places that she’s read about.

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