Are Dogs Good for our Health?
A new study shows that sharing a roof with this animal improves blood pressure and cholesterol levels and is associated with a lower incidence of obesity, which protects the owner’s cardiovascular health. What are you waiting for to adopt one?
People who have pets, especially dogs, get more physical exercise. Andrea Maugeri, one of the authors of a research on Dogs and our Health assures that those with pets also had a better diet and better blood sugar levels. The study was carried out at the International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), located on the premises of the St. Anne’s Faculty Hospital in the city of Brno (Czech Republic).
To confirm their hypothesis, they have sampled a group of 1,769 people with no history of heart disease. Their plan is to monitor their medical histories every five years until 2030 and thus ascertain the impact of dogs on our health.
The group has been classified according to their behaviors, lifestyle and the seven risk factors described by the American Heart Association (AHA): body mass index, diet, physical activity, smoking, blood pressure, blood glucose and total cholesterol.
The study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings demonstrates an association between heart health and the companionship of dogs, but it will not be scientifically confirmed until the study is completed in 2030. There have been several studies that have shown that living with a dog is associated with improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, the direct cause-effect relationship was not clear.
So, do dogs make us healthier?
The study does not make it clear whether this positive consequence is because pets tend to make us more physically active by having to go for walks with them or whether healthier people are more likely to be pet owners. Although it is a fact that there is a relationship between cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as a lower risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases and people who own dogs. We will still have to wait for the study to be completed to know exactly how these faithful companions benefit us.
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