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A massive, 12-year study of 3.4 million Swedish people released Friday in the journal Scientific Reports reveals that adult dog owners are less likely to die than their dog-free peers.

For the study, researchers from Uppsala University compared data from Sweden's national dog ownership registry with hospital visits for adults aged 40 to 80. (That analysis would be nearly impossible to replicate in the US, since American pet owners are not required to register their pooches the way Swedes are.)

Researchers started following the 3.4 million people in 2001, and selected the group so that no participants had pre-existing heart conditions. After 12 years, they found that people with dogs had a 23% reduced risk of death from cardiac diseases like heart failure, stroke, or heart attack than their dog-less peers. Dog owners were also 20% less likely to die, period.

If you’re a single dog-owner, the news is even better: The study found that people who live on their own with a dog had a 33% reduced risk of death compared to their non-dog-owning single counterparts.

“Dog ownership was especially prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone,” Mwenya Mubanga, lead junior author of the study, said in a release. “Perhaps a dog may stand in as an important family member in the single households.”

But not all dog breeds “protected” their owners equally, according to the study. Owners of hunting-breed dogs had some of the lowest risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and death. People with pointer dogs, for example, were 40% less likely to die, and people with retrievers were 26% less likely.

Overall, the study in Sweden backs up a similar finding that the American Heart Association reported in 2013. The AHA said dog owners get more exercise, have better blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and even have “diminished sympathetic responses” to stress.


More: http://www.businessinsider.com/dog-owner-heart-disease-study-uppsala-sweden-2017-11




Study Cited in Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-16118-6




#Medicine #Dogs #Health