If you have pets, you might already know how much happiness and love they bring into your life. Now, science is just proving how they are really good for your health – mentally and physically.
Here’s some of the benefits of having pets.
1. Pets help you live longer
According to a study by Scientific Reports, having a dog lowers your risk of having cardiovascular disease or other causes. Researchers studied men and women with or without pets from ages 40 to 80 and studied their health records for about a dozen years.
They found that those with a dog decrease their risk of death by 33% and 36% decrease of cardiovascular-related death compared to those without a pet. Having a heart attack is also 11% lower. The journal of the American Heart Association published their 2019 study and found that dog ownership lowers their risk of dying by 24%.
2. Pets boost immune function
Some might think that having pets would trigger allergies, especially because of its fur. However, it turns out animal companions actually help alleviate your allergies.
Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that newborns who lived with cats lower their risk of having childhood asthma, pneumonia, and bronchiolitis.
“Exposure to animal bacteria may trigger bacteria in our gut to change how thye metabolize the neurotransmitters that have an impact on mood and other mental functions,” Jack Gilbert, the director of the Mircobiome Center at the University of Chicago, told The New York Times.
3. Pets keep you fitter
More than 2,000 adults who walk their dogs get more exercise and were less likely to be obese than those who did not walk their dogs, according to a study by the One National Institutes of Health.
Dog walkers aged between 71 and 82 also walked faster and longer than non-dog walkers.
4. Pets lessen stress
Having pets lower anxiety and fear levels and elevate feelings of calmness. A study found that dogs can help seniors ease stress and loneliness, and even help calm college students before exams.
Another study found that petting a dog or cat for just 10 minutes could help lower cortisol levels.
You might want to read:
– Your cat might actually care you exist, study says
– Largest flying animal in history identified, study
– Dogs can understand what you’re telling them, study says
