Research & science
Does Pet Ownership Reduce Your Risk for Heart Disease?
Do you exercise, watch your diet or take medication to lower your blood pressure, blood fats and cholesterol levels? If you do, maybe you should also get yourself a pet.
New research confirms and expands earlier studies indicating a link between pet ownership and a reduced risk of developing heart disease.
Results of a three-year study of 5,741 people at the Baker Medical Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia, show that pet owners had lower blood pressure and triglyceride and cholesterol levels than did non-owners – a result that could not be explained by such personal differences as cigarette smoking, diet, weight or socio-economic profile. When examining the results, researchers tried to determine if there was some factor other than pet ownership that was influencing the outcome, none found. Of the 3,394 men and 2,347 women engaged in the study, 784 reported that they owned one or more pets.
A look at lifestyle risk factors also failed to turn up any evidence that could have influenced the findings. Pet owners reported that they were more active, but they also drank more alcohol and ate more take-out food.
Source: Pets for elderly Foundation
Little help from your little friends
Many of us occasionally feel alienated from others and some of us, such as the elderly feel this loneliness even more acutely. Pets can help bridge this isolation by serving as a social catalyst between young and old.
With the growing number of elderly people living alone, pets are especially important in increasing their interest in life. Pets give the elderly something to care for, as well as providing an opportunity for exercise and socialization. Taking care of a pet can also serve as an alarm clock for elderly people – reminding him to take care of himself, too. In fact, animal companionship can dramatically improve the quality of life and may even have a positive impact on longevity. Animals also give us a much-needed natural outlet for touching and cuddling – especially to those who live alone.
Source: Pets for elderly Foundation
In the Presence of Animals
Reviewing 25 studies on the effects of pets on elderly people in nursing home, iit was found that residents exposed to pets consistently smiled more and became measurably more alert than those who did not encounter animals. Physically-aggressive patients became more noticeably tolerant of people standing near them when an animal was present. Animals normalize the environment, and allow people to be more appropriate, more at ease.
Elderly people who own pets also make fewer visits to doctors than those who are without animal companions, possibly because the animals mitigate loneliness. “Perhaps,” suggests Judith Siegel, Professor of Public Health at the University of California at Los Angeles, “pet ownership might provide a new form of low-cost health intervention.”
-Sarah Burke, U.S. News & World Report-
Keep your dog mentally sharp
Are you a crossword addict? Sudoko fan? Or maybe a bridge fiend? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that brain games—activities that demand mental problem solving—aren’t only fun, they are also good for the mind – both human AND canine.
Memory and learning ability tend to decline with age, in both people and dogs. In fact, the types of brain changes, from normal aging to diseases like Alzheimer’s, are so similar between dogs and people that dogs are used as a model to study mental decline in human aging. The good news is that brain games help reduce some age-related brain changes. While it isn’t clear yet which specific cognitive exercises work best, the general consensus is that “use it or lose it” holds as true for human and canine minds as it does for our bodies, so Fido better perk up his ears if he wants to keep track of where the bones are buried in his sunset years. To help you keep those canine cognitive wheels well greased, here are a few awesome brain boosters that most dogs rate with two paws up and a big wag of approval.
By Jennifer Messer, Modern Dog