Dog
ownership linked to lower mortality rate
Uppsala University
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Their study shows that dog owners had a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease or to other causes during the 12-year follow-up.
A total of more than
3.4 million individuals without any prior cardiovascular disease in 2001 were
included in the researchers' study linking together seven different national
data sources, including two dog ownership registers.
The results are being published for the first time in Scientific Reports. The goal was to determine whether dog owners had a different risk of cardiovascular disease and death than non-dog owners.
The results are being published for the first time in Scientific Reports. The goal was to determine whether dog owners had a different risk of cardiovascular disease and death than non-dog owners.
"A very
interesting finding in our study was that dog ownership was especially
prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone, which is a group
reported previously to be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death
than those living in a multi-person household. Perhaps a dog may stand in as an
important family member in the single households."
The results showed that single dog owners had a 33 percent reduction in risk of death and 11 percent reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease during follow-up compared to single non-owners.
Another interesting finding was that owners to dogs from breed groups originally bred for hunting were most protected," says Mwenya Mubanga, lead junior author of the study and PhD student at the Department of Medical Sciences and the Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University.
The results showed that single dog owners had a 33 percent reduction in risk of death and 11 percent reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease during follow-up compared to single non-owners.
Another interesting finding was that owners to dogs from breed groups originally bred for hunting were most protected," says Mwenya Mubanga, lead junior author of the study and PhD student at the Department of Medical Sciences and the Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University.
In Sweden, every
person carries a unique personal identity number. Every visit to a hospital is
recorded in national databases, accessible to researchers after
de-identification of data.
Even dog ownership registration has been mandatory in Sweden since 2001. These scientists studied whether being registered as a dog-owner was associated with later diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or death from any cause.
Even dog ownership registration has been mandatory in Sweden since 2001. These scientists studied whether being registered as a dog-owner was associated with later diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or death from any cause.
"These kind of
epidemiological studies look for associations in large populations but do not
provide answers on whether and how dogs could protect from cardiovascular
disease. We know that dog owners in general have a higher level of physical
activity, which could be one explanation to the observed results. Other
explanations include an increased well-being and social contacts or effects of
the dog on the bacterial microbiome in the owner," says Tove Fall, senior
author of the study and Associate Professor in Epidemiology at the Department
of Medical Sciences and the Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University.
"There might also
be differences between owners and non-owners already before buying a dog, which
could have influenced our results, such as those people choosing to get a dog
tending to be more active and of better health. Thanks to the population-based
design, our results are generalisable to the Swedish population, and probably
also to other European populations with similar culture regarding dog
ownership," says Tove Fall.