Man’s best friend is best companion; science proves it
For those who’ve been reading my thoughts in this space over the past few decades – well, firstly, thanks!
Secondly, you have to know by now what kind of silly, goofy gal you’re dealing with, no?
That’s a bit of a given.
But what I may or may not have conveyed over these past many years of penning this column is my unmitigated love for all God’s creatures great and small.
I recently found an article on www.verywellhealth.com extolling the benefits of having not only pets but also various other living things (i.e. plants) surrounding us as a means of being happy and well throughout a long life.
“Pets offer love, companionship and even exercise – if you’ve got a dog that needs to get outdoors every day. They’re family, no doubt about it, but can they help extend your life?” asked the article’s author Sharon Basaraba, a renowned medical reporter.
Her research and its corresponding data describe the improvement in depression scores of residents in nursing homes employing the use of a robotic seal.
Yes, a seal.
This is a way of offering them a warm fuzzy “animal” to cuddle but it doesn’t present any threats of possible allergies or even accidental bites.
It’s no secret that for eons people have been relying on dogs for company, friendship and affection. Recent data suggests that they may also extend your life. And it is not only dogs.
A study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology in 2009 looking at over 4,000 people over 20 years, found that people who own cats have a decreased risk of death due to heart attack or stroke.
Another study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology in 2009 looking at over 4,000 people over 20 years, found that people who own cats also have a decreased risk for death due to heart attack or stroke.
The verdict on whether pets can help you live longer is a bit astonishing, even to the researchers who discovered it.
University of California, Riverside health researchers Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin analyzed data collected from an 80-year study of 1,500 people. The study, initiated in 1921 by psychologist Lewis Terman, is one of the only long-term studies that followed people from their childhood onward.
Subjects in their 60s were asked detailed questions about how often they played with pets. After 14 years researchers analyzed mortality data. Results suggest that interacting with pets played no role in the participants’ likelihood of surviving.
Wait, what? I don’t think that’s possibly correct. Hmpf.
It seems the results were the same even when Friedman and Martin examined only people who were socially isolated, for whom a close relationship with an animal might ostensibly be more important.
Huh?
However, a more recent meta-analysis, published in the journal Circulation in 2019, came to a different conclusion.
Looking at data from studies between 1950 and May 2019, they found that dog owners live longer than those without a dog. The benefit was greatest for those who had a history of heart attack and there was a 65% reduced risk of mortality.
Ha! Now, that’s more like it.
What are you waiting for? Go adopt a new puppy or kitten right now; it will do your heart (and soul!) some good!
Kimerer is a columnist who adores puppies. Contact her with your own puppy love story at pkimerer@zoominternet.net.
Man’s best friend is best companion; science proves it
For those who’ve been reading my thoughts in this space over the past few decades – well, firstly, thanks!
Secondly, you have to know by now what kind of silly, goofy gal you’re dealing with, no?
That’s a bit of a given.
But what I may or may not have conveyed over these past many years of penning this column is my unmitigated love for all God’s creatures great and small.
I recently found an article on www.verywellhealth.com extolling the benefits of having not only pets but also various other living things (i.e. plants) surrounding us as a means of being happy and well throughout a long life.
“Pets offer love, companionship and even exercise – if you’ve got a dog that needs to get outdoors every day. They’re family, no doubt about it, but can they help extend your life?” asked the article’s author Sharon Basaraba, a renowned medical reporter.
Her research and its corresponding data describe the improvement in depression scores of residents in nursing homes employing the use of a robotic seal.
Yes, a seal.
This is a way of offering them a warm fuzzy “animal” to cuddle but it doesn’t present any threats of possible allergies or even accidental bites.
It’s no secret that for eons people have been relying on dogs for company, friendship and affection. Recent data suggests that they may also extend your life. And it is not only dogs.
A study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology in 2009 looking at over 4,000 people over 20 years, found that people who own cats have a decreased risk of death due to heart attack or stroke.
Another study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology in 2009 looking at over 4,000 people over 20 years, found that people who own cats also have a decreased risk for death due to heart attack or stroke.
The verdict on whether pets can help you live longer is a bit astonishing, even to the researchers who discovered it.
University of California, Riverside health researchers Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin analyzed data collected from an 80-year study of 1,500 people. The study, initiated in 1921 by psychologist Lewis Terman, is one of the only long-term studies that followed people from their childhood onward.
Subjects in their 60s were asked detailed questions about how often they played with pets. After 14 years researchers analyzed mortality data. Results suggest that interacting with pets played no role in the participants’ likelihood of surviving.
Wait, what? I don’t think that’s possibly correct. Hmpf.
It seems the results were the same even when Friedman and Martin examined only people who were socially isolated, for whom a close relationship with an animal might ostensibly be more important.
Huh?
However, a more recent meta-analysis, published in the journal Circulation in 2019, came to a different conclusion.
Looking at data from studies between 1950 and May 2019, they found that dog owners live longer than those without a dog. The benefit was greatest for those who had a history of heart attack and there was a 65% reduced risk of mortality.
Ha! Now, that’s more like it.
What are you waiting for? Go adopt a new puppy or kitten right now; it will do your heart (and soul!) some good!
Kimerer is a columnist who adores puppies. Contact her with your own puppy love story at pkimerer@zoominternet.net.
Patty Kimerer
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