How “Man’s Best Friend” Can Mean Better Heart Health

December 6th, 2017

Recently, the New York Times reported the findngs of a Swedish research study in an article titled “Dog Owners Live Longer”  The article mentioned a study in Sweden which found that dog owners are 20% less likely to die of all-causes and 23% less likely to die from heart disease.  For comparison, statin medications such as Lipitor, Zocor, or Crestor are known to reduce heart disease death by 20%.  So could your “pooch” be making you healthier as much as medications?  It certainly seems that way!

There may be many reasons for these dramatic findings.

• Dog owners will likely be taking their dogs for daily walks.  We have learned that increasing the number of steps we take each day burns calories and keeps our heart in shape.
• When people play with dogs, their stress levels drop dramatically.  Stress is directly linked with inflammation and heart disease.
• Caring for a dog requires a lot of exercise.  Carrying large bags of dog food, refilling the water in dog dishes, bending over and cleaning up after a dog, and playing fetch are calorie-burning chores.
• Dogs can encourage social interaction among owners.  When you take a dog to a dog park, you will likely strike a conversation with other dog owners.  This can lead to friendships and more social involvement, both of which can improve people’s moods.
• Taking the dog to regular vet visits can remind the owner of his/her own need for medical checkups.
• Being responsible and caring for another living creature can induce feelings of compassion and understanding, ultimately reducing stress. There have been studies with elderly individuals who were given plants to take care of in nursing homes.  Many of them were found to have lower rates of dementia than those who did not.  They also noted that they had lower stress levels.

Dogs make great companions.  The fact that they can lower your risk of heart disease is one more added benefit to the unconditional love they provide to us.  I would advise that if you have the means and want to have a dog, it may prove beneficial to your health.  However, please do not buy a dog for someone else just because you feel it would benefit their health.  Not everyone has the capacity to do what is required and we don’t need any more dogs in shelters.