Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by… owning a dog.
Scientists believe that owning a dog offers significant health benefits to humans, particularly reducing the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by approximately 36%.
| Dogs encourage humans to engage in physical activity that is beneficial to their health - Photo: Joselito Briones |
The study was conducted on 3.4 million Swedish citizens. Scientists analyzed and statistically recorded the number of families who owned pets and their health status.
The survey participants ranged in age from 40 to 80 and were followed for 12 years, with approximately 13% owning a pet dog.
The results showed that owning a dog helps reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by approximately 36%.
The research was published in a journal.Scientific Reports.
Tove Fall, a professor of epidemiology at Uppsala University (Sweden), says that the benefits of owning a dog are more pronounced in people who live alone. Specifically, in larger families, the number of deaths is 11% lower compared to households without dogs.
"We found that the impact of dogs on people living alone is much greater than on people in larger families," Fall said.
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| Former US President Obama plays ball with his dog Bo on the White House grounds - Photo: Getty Images |
Last month, Helen Stokes-Lampard, head of the Royal College of Physicians, warned that loneliness has a profound negative impact on health, like an insidious disease that develops over time.
An estimated 1.1 million Britons who live alone are 50% more likely to die prematurely than those with more social connections. This makes loneliness as dangerous to the health of Britons as diabetes.
While research doesn't pinpoint exactly how dogs improve human health, lonely individuals may find stress reduction and a more positive lifestyle possible thanks to their canine companions.
In the study, Fall also analyzed the impact of different dog breeds and found that the risk of cardiovascular disease was lowest among those who owned hunting dogs.
Those who own hunting dogs may be naturally active and physically engaged, as these dogs are very energetic. Or it could be the opposite: the dog's active lifestyle makes it impossible for the owner to sit still on the sofa at home.
However, Fall believes that exercise isn't the most important factor impacting human health. "What I want to emphasize here is a more open lifestyle," Fall said.
In a previous study, Fall stated that dog ownership could reduce the risk of asthma in children by about 15%. This reinforces a hypothesis called the "hygiene theory," which suggests that living in overly clean environments may increase the likelihood of developing allergies.
The annual Asthma and Immunology Conference (ACAAI), held in Boston, USA, at the end of October, also announced two studies showing that dogs may contribute to protecting humans against eczema and reducing asthma symptoms, especially in children.
According to TTO
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