{"id":234021,"date":"2019-10-09T00:09:31","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T04:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=234021"},"modified":"2019-10-09T00:09:31","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T04:09:31","slug":"dog-owners-have-reduced-risk-of-dying-from-heart-problems-says-researcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/10\/09\/dog-owners-have-reduced-risk-of-dying-from-heart-problems-says-researcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog owners have reduced risk of dying from heart problems, says researcher"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s possible that dog owners are more likely to have higher incomes, or that furry companions fit into their already active lifestyles, she said. (Pexels Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2014 Cats may have nine lives, but owning a dog may extend yours, a Toronto researcher says.<\/p>\n

A study released Tuesday suggests dog owners live longer than their canine-less counterparts, experiencing nearly a one-third lower risk of dying from heart problems.<\/p>\n

Caroline Kramer, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, led the systematic review published by an American Heart Association journal.<\/p>\n

Researchers analyzed data on more than 3.8 million people taken from 10 studies published between 1950 and 2019.<\/p>\n

They found that dog ownership was associated with a 24 per cent risk reduction in death overall, and the risk of death due to cardiovascular-related issues dropped by 31 per cent. This gap was even more pronounced among dog owners who had survived a heart attack, whose risk of death was 65 per cent lower than non-owners.<\/p>\n

Kramer says the results are promising, but more research is needed to prove there are health benefits to having a dog.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an important paper to suggest (a link), but not to provide a definitive answer,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe it’s not the dog itself, it’s that people already have a healthier lifestyle before.\u201d<\/p>\n

The clinician scientist noted that her team’s analysis didn’t account for variables that may explain the difference in health outcomes between dog owners and the rest of the population.<\/p>\n

It’s possible that dog owners are more likely to have higher incomes, or that furry companions fit into their already active lifestyles, she said.<\/p>\n

While it’s difficult to disentangle cause and effect without a randomized clinical trial, Kramer said there’s research to indicate that man’s best friend may be good for your health.<\/p>\n

In two papers, participants reported that their physical activity increased after adopting a dog. Another suggested that owning a dog helped older English adults stay fit during inclement weather.<\/p>\n

Kramer also cited one study that found being around a cat or dog can reduce blood pressure as much as some medications, suggesting that proximity to pets can have an immediate impact on stress levels.<\/p>\n

She said there’s evidence that dog ownership may have other benefits for emotional health, particularly among elderly people who live alone.<\/p>\n

Kramer has also personally experienced the positive side-effects of dog ownership in the form of her miniature schnauzer, Romeo, whom she credits with increasing her physical activity by 10,000 steps per day.<\/p>\n

But she warned that people should consider what’s best for themselves and the dog before running to the adoption centre in the name of improving their heart health.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the joy of having a dog is not there, maybe the effect is not the same,\u201d said Kramer. \u201cIf they consider all that and they have the proper lifestyle for that, I would say that maybe that it’s something that can change your life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 Cats may have nine lives, but owning a dog may extend yours, a Toronto researcher says. A study …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":234022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-234021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lifestyle","mauthors-adina-bresge","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234023,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234021\/revisions\/234023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}