Do you love dogs? If so, your adoration for your pup could promote heart health, according to a new report.
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Researchers from the Mayo Clinic recently conducted a study, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes journal, to determine the association between pet ownership and risk of cardiovascular diseases.
To do so, they examined 1,769 adults from in Brno, Czech Republic aged 25 to 64. The team gathered information about the participants’ body mass index, diet, physical activity level, smoking status, and other factors. They also recorded whether the adults owned pets.
Of the 42% that owned any type of pet, 24% owned dogs and 18% had other animals.
Overall, people who had any type of pet had better heart health, compared to non-pet owners. But those with dogs fared even better.
The scientists said dog owners were more likely to exercise regularly, eat a healthier diet and have better sugar levels in their blood.
"What we found was that those who own a pet, particularly a dog, were healthier from the cardiovascular standpoint," said co-author Francisco Lopez-Jimenez said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time scientists have linked dog ownership with good health.
In 2017, researchers from Sweden found dog owners who live alone have a 36 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those without dogs.
And a 2018 study from scientists at Canisius College discovered women who owned dogs may have better sleep.
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