Best Friends With Benefits: Dog Owners Live Longer, Study Finds

Study Finds ^ | 11-21-2017 | Daniel Steingold

[blam]

UPPSALA, Sweden — Thinking of getting a pet, but not sure it’s worth it? Some new research may change your mind. A new study finds that dog owners enjoy longer lives than others.

Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden looked at a broad set of data on more than 3.4 million healthy adult Swedes between ages 40 and 80 to determine whether dog ownership could help prevent cardiovascular disease. Man carrying dog A new study finds that dog owners may live longer thanks to lower rates of heart disease and other deadly ailments. (Photo by Jordan Koons on Unsplash)

Interestingly, owning a dog was determined to be a preventive factor for those who lived by themselves, among whom cardiovascular disease and premature death are typically seen at higher rates.

“The results showed that single dog owners had a 33% reduction in risk of death and 11% reduction in risk of myocardial infarction during follow-up compared to single non-owners,” says Mwenya Mubanga, one of the study’s lead authors, in a university news release. “Another interesting finding was that owners to dogs from breed groups originally bred for hunting were most protected.”

The researchers remain uncertain as to the mechanisms guiding improved health in dog owners, but suggested some possibilities.

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[crosdaddy]

Just me and my (very spoiled) wire hair fox terrier.

[libstripper]

OMG!! A private dog pack. I have only two.

[libstripper]

I’ve had mostly Labs and Lab crosses,until my present pair, who are an AST, Lab, Golden, Cocker mix and a,Great Dane. They’re as good as or better than all the others.