A Dog Can Lead You to Improved Health
A Dog Can Lead You to Improved Health
Pet owners have always claimed they're the key to health and happiness and I remember a study on high blood pressure which showed that having a dog was an important key factor in keeping pressure down.
It turned out it was the action of stroking a dog that soothed the nerves and lowered blood pressure. But the soothing effect of man's best friend doesn't end there.
A new Swedish study says owning a dog could reduce heart disease. And it's a big study, 3.4 million people between the ages of 40 and 80.
It showed having a dog led to a 23% reduction in death from heart disease and a 20% lower risk of dying from anything over the 12 years of the study.
Dogs are good medicine because they relieve social isolation and depression - and both of these issues are linked to a higher risk of heart disease and early death.
It's really fascinating. Dog owners can handle stress better (their blood pressure and pulse rates don't soar), they're more active and have slightly lower cholesterol levels. Even the American Heart Association said in 2013 that owning a dog was probably linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
Tove Fall, an epidemiologist and the lead author of this latest study, says the biggest positive impact of having a dog is on people living alone.
