With rising sedentary lifestyles, and increasing stress, it is pertinent to ask: does owning a dog or another pet reduce the risk of heart disease?
Pet ownership is probably associated with a reduction in heart disease risk factors and increased survival among patients. But the studies aren't definitive and do not necessarily prove that owning a pet directly causes a reduction in heart disease risk.
"It may be simply that healthier people are the ones that have pets, not that having a pet actually leads to or causes reduction in cardiovascular risk," Levine said.
Ref.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130509163902.htm
As a medical sociologist, I learned years ago that isolation Is a silent killer. Gigs and other pets can not only fulfill socialization need, they can help create social bonds with other pet owners, similar to the movie “101 Dalmations”. So walking a dog not only reduces sedentary life style, it can also reduce stress and prevent isolation.
The answer to your question is "Yes". Please have a look at the following ResearchGate links.
Article Dog ownership and the risk of cardiovascular disease and dea...
Article Cat ownership and the Risk of Fatal Cardiovascular Diseases....
Article Pet Ownership and Human Health: A Brief Review of Evidence and Issues
Conference Paper Cats as domestic pets reduce the risk of cardiovascular dise...
Article Cardiovascular Reactivity and the Presence of Pets, Friends,...
Pet ownership is probably associated with a reduction in heart disease risk factors and increased survival among patients. But the studies aren't definitive and do not necessarily prove that owning a pet directly causes a reduction in heart disease risk.
"It may be simply that healthier people are the ones that have pets, not that having a pet actually leads to or causes reduction in cardiovascular risk," Levine said.
Ref.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130509163902.htm
Indeed; best stress reliever...... and unfortunately my sweet pet passed away yesterday :(
Great discussion posts all of you colleagues, Maham Muzamil , Firas Saadallah , Rama I. Ali , Arvind Singh .
Studies have shown that people who have pets do not suffer from depression as compared with other non-pets because they are gentle and gentle when dealing with these animals. They also reduce their sense of loneliness and isolation, and they are generally satisfied with themselves Because of their care for these animals. Minimizing Allergies Home-keeping pets help reduce the risk of allergies, especially asthma, with 15% less.
Blood pressure Studies have shown that pet owners do not have high blood pressure problems, compared to those who do not raise pets, and can reduce the proportion of health problems that are related to effort, because of the acquisition of a pet at home, and play with Some pets inside the home stimulate the production of dopamine and serotonin responsible for happiness, relaxation and tranquility in the body. Cholesterol lowering The presence of a pet inside the home reduces the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides accumulated in the body, which are considered the most important causes of heart disease.
Hello, dogs may be beneficial in reducing cardiovascular risk in their owners by providing social support and motivation for more walking in fresh air.
Karen A. Darbinyan , Zainab A Makawi , Nancy Bosalis , Saad Kariem Shather , Sandra D. Brawer , thank you all esteemed colleges for you contributions to this discussion.
Yes it does help the Pet owner to reduce the Risk of Heart Diseases or Stress Stroke. Common sense significantly indicate that every healthy physical and mental activity reduces the risks of getting diseases due to sedentary lifestyle. Regards
Pets may reduce heart disease of people but how about the pets themselves ? They might be having heart problems staying all day between closed doors..
Many thanks for these interesting insights on this discussion by respected RG members.
Anastas Ivanov Ivanov , you are right. Except for elephants, most animals have much lower life span than humans. However, pet lovers cope well when their pets live a full life and die of old age.
Really intriguing to know that pets do such amazing things in the lives of their owners. Good discussion.
I read somewhere , pets help us relax so may be reduce heart diseases too ...
I am not sure , when I had pets(Cats) in India , I would cry when they die or they left home , so my Mom would say no more pets !!!!
Brian Fulknar , Aparna Sathya Murthy , thanks for sharing your insights.
To a larger extent. Some pets of some individuals have given them joy and calmed down tensions, working favorably for their heart conditions.
I think that it depends on the person's preference. I prefer being alone to staying with people. And I do not like pet cares. The caring is another work (stress) to me. I do love dog or cat. But I do not want to be with them in my home.
Dickson Adom , Claire Su-Yeon Park , I greatly appreciate your contribution to this discussion.
I think there is no any relationship between them, most of heart diseases coused by psychological state, may be own beauty pet or dog fell us happy but it not mean that we are overcome to this Pathological case.
As long as there is a certain preference for the type of animals, this means that the person feels comfortable with breeding and care of this type, which feels comfortable and this generally reflects on human health positively
Dear Muhammad Faheem Jan , there is a large body of literature that supports the association. I will be happy to share some of those.
Dear Brian Fulknar and Muhammad Faheem Jan , although some studies may be inclusive, here is is just one of many articles that show the association.
Article Dog Ownership and Dog Walking: The Relationship With Exercis...
Here is another one:
Article EXPLAINING THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF HUMAN-A...
Pets may contribute in reducing stress of people. They provide psychological comfort like any other family members at home. Such an atmosphere reduces heart diseases and creates happiness and relaxation.
Companionship, warmth, uncritical love provided by dogs at least clearly create psychologically reassuring feelings in people in general. That aids health, or should do.
Dear Hazim Al Dilaimy , Stanley Wilkin , thank you for your perspectives.
In the US the dog is the service animal to work with humans. Depending on the range of behaviors required by the human, other animals, eg, monkeys, and others are trainable.
Be kind to your pets, they will make you relaxed an happy and less subject to be sick.
Thanks dear Dr. Gulzar Shah for sharing your interesting question. I can not answer it as an expert, but I think that having pets can help us to be more relax and therefor, it may be the cause of reduction risk for heart disease.
Yes it could be.
Based on Harvard health publishing, Having a dog can help your heart.
Dog lovers know how much warmth and comfort their canine companions add to their lives. But they might not know that a growing body of evidence suggests that having a dog may help improve heart health.
Pet ownership, especially having a dog, is probably associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. This does not mean that there is a clear cause and effect relationship between the two. But it does mean that pet ownership can be a reasonable part of an overall strategy to lower the risk of heart disease.
Several studies have shown that dog owners have lower blood pressure than non-owners — probably because their pets have a calming effect on them and because dog owners tend to get more exercise. The power of touch also appears to be an important part of this "pet effect." Several studies show that blood pressure goes down when a person pets a dog.
There is some evidence that owning a dog is associated with lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A large study focusing on this question found that dog owners had lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than non-owners, and that these differences weren't explainable by diet, smoking, or body mass index (BMI). However, the reason for these differences is still not clear.
Dogs' calming effect on humans also appears to help people handle stress. For example, some research suggests that people with dogs experience less cardiovascular reactivity during times of stress. That means that their heart rate and blood pressure go up less and return to normal more quickly, dampening the effects of stress on the body.
If you own a dog or are thinking about it, the potential benefits for your heart health are a nice plus. However, pets should not be adopted for the primary purpose of reducing heart disease risk. And definitely don't add a dog to your life if you're not ready or able to take care of one, including making sure it gets enough exercise.
Reference: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/having-a-dog-can-help-your-heart--literally
I still have a tortoise, and for many years I have been interested in wonderful fish ponds, bird-cages with unique sounds, and I still take care of the home garden and its accompanying birds.
Currently, animals are used to reduce the rate of hospitalization among psychotics
Yes, they do! Literature support the general idea. However, although there is not much studies about a pet loss and aftermath heart attacks, it is very painful to lose a pet for your heart and soul. I am talking of experience and witnessing many people. Here is a useful link.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/having-a-dog-can-help-your-heart--literally
Some relevant studies:
https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Do+pets+reduce+risk+for+heart+disease%3F&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&p=&u=%23p%3DpjyEnTQmWXEJ
https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Do+pets+reduce+risk+for+heart+disease%3F&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&p=&u=%23p%3DBfqe-M-_PfQJ
https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Do+pets+reduce+risk+for+heart+disease%3F&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&p=&u=%23p%3D4aUwqlg1NKUJ
https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Do+pets+reduce+risk+for+heart+disease%3F&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&p=&u=%23p%3DHJF5ecYiWlsJ
https://scholar.google.com.pk/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Do+pets+reduce+risk+for+heart+disease%3F&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&p=&u=%23p%3DOF4l0zxu0fsJ
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/MyHeartandStrokeNews/Owning-a-Pet-May-Protect-You-from-Heart-Disease_UCM_453586_Article.jsp?appName=MobileApp
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2013/05/11/pet-owners-may-have-lower-risk-for-heart-disease/
Maham Muzamil , Merana Ali Khan , Mohammad Mehdizadeh , Houda Kawas thank you all colleagues for sharing your insights.
The presence of pets may help reduce stress and nervousness, which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease
I would say Yes and this should depend on how much attention you accord to the pet. Neurologically this would entail the brain being fooled so that one remains calm
@Timothy , Ibrahim Alrashid , thank you for your help with advancing this discussion.
Stimulating questions with valuable and challenging comments from our RG colleagues
As we have a pet dog, I can say it is wonderful to be greeted by your dog after a day of work away from home. I think walking the dog allows us to do some exercise. On Christmas day and yesterday we took our dog for a walk, walking about 5 km on Christmas day, according to our Runkeeper and 4.5 km yesterday at another location. According to experts we should make at least 10,000 steps per day or something like that. We did meet that requirement. Apart from that walking the walk allows to have some fresh air.
We have in the family someone who is a veterinary surgeon and he once said having pets, particularly dogs, contributes to well-being and health of the owners. Taking care of horses is also good...
Anyway, here is where you can find out more:
https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets#1
Pets give happiness for us that may be reduce the risk of heart diseases.
Mercy plus Love at any level Is the important type of neurological and psychological exercises for healthy heart survival.
Shaden M H Mubarak , Zainab J. Khudhair , Meison Abdulbary , thank you for participating in this discussion
Some people may aegie that pets are full of parasites but studies show that the net effect is more benefits rather than negative consequences.
Nadeem Ahmad Khan , Firas Saadallah , Eman H. Utman , thank you for sharing your thoughts
I agree with the answer of Nirmala S.V.S.G but I want to add that cats also reduce stress and cardiovascular diseases.
Dear Bakhodir S. Okhundedaev , thanks for participating in this discussion.
Pet ownership is increasingly being recognized as an important component of a heart healthy lifestyle, according to a recently released statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) published in the journal, Circulation, May 9.
A group of cardiologists recruited by the AHA recently reviewed literature linking cardiovascular health and outcomes with owning a pet and concluded that owning a pet is “probably associated” with a reduced risk of heart disease for people with no pre-existing history of cardiac disease, along with improved survival rates among those patients with coronary artery disease.
Ref
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2013/05/11/pet-owners-may-have-lower-risk-for-heart-disease/#14bc0dce2f7b
Mohammed H. Musleh , thank you colleague for participating in this discussion.
Yes! You have to walk two times a day, regulary. Pets have positive effect on reducing the stress of the owner.
As per many reports, owning a pet especially dogs reduce blood cholesterol, depression and cardiac diseases and affects the physical and mental health of the the person who owns it.
They are kind and not dangerous therefore they will improve your mood
Yes ... Most of the researchers said that owning of pets like Dog,Cat etc. these are helps to decreasing the mental stress and they helps to us for proper blood circulation. In addition to above some birds and some pet animals like cow, deer and horse also gives us medical benefit for the over stressed life.
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