हिंदी
Having a dog at home is beneficial for cardiovascular health. They are especially a charm for heart patients and people who live alone.
Early studies have shown that dog ownership alleviates social isolation, improves physical activity and even lowers blood pressure.
Glenn N.Levine, Chair of the writing group of the American Heart Association said, “The two new studies provide good, quality data indicating dog ownership is associated with reduced cardiac and all-cause mortality.”
Researchers compared the health outcomes of dog owners and non-owners after a heart attack or stroke. The patients under the study were Swedish residents between 40 to 85 age who experienced a heart attack from 2001-2012.
Research found out that dog owners living alone after hospitalisation were at 33 percent lower death risk in comparison with non dog owners. Whereas the risk of death for heart attack patients living with child or partner was 15 percent lower.
In the study, nearly 182,000 people were recorded to have had a heart attack, with almost 6 per cent being dog owners, and nearly 155,000 people were recorded to have had an ischemic stroke, with almost 5 per cent being dog owners.
The lower risk of death associated with dog ownership could be explained by an increase in physical activity and the decreased depression and loneliness, both of which have been connected to dog ownership in previous studies.
Tove Fall, professor at Uppsala University in Sweden said, “Keeping a dog is a good motivation for physical activity, which is an important factor in rehabilitation and mental health.”
