Dogs are praised as "man's best friend". When your dog waits for you by the door at the end of a hard day, face smiling and tail wagging, you feel that the whole world is lighted up.
Dogs give you their affection, loyalty and companionship, but few people know that dogs can also help you maintain a healthy heart.
Pet dogs can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease
A recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that owning a pet may help you maintain a healthy heart, especially if that pet is a dog.
In 2019, the researchers studied 1,769 subjects with no history of heart disease and scored them based on Life's Simple 7 ideal health behaviors and factors, as outlined by the American Heart Association:
—Body mass index
—Diet
—Physical activity
—Smoking status
—Blood pressure
—Blood glucose
—Total cholesterol
It turned out that the scores of pet owners were higher than people who didn’t own pets. And among the pet owners, the scores of dog owners were higher than other pet owners. This means having a pet, especially a dog, can bring a pet owner better cardiovascular health.
"In general, people who owned any pet were more likely to report more physical activity, better diet and blood sugar at ideal level," says Andrea Maugeri, Ph.D., one of the researchers. "The greatest benefits from having a pet were for those who owned a dog, independent of their age, sex and education level."
Why having a pet dog can help your heart
1. Having a dog may promote your physical health:
—You need to go out, move around and play with your dog regularly.
2. Having a dog may promote your mental health:
—Having a dog can prevent social isolation, which is a risk factor of heart attacks.
According to the study findings, you can adopt, rescue or purchase a dog to improve your cardiovascular health. Give your love freely to your dog, and your dog will give you love in return.
