Study: A Pet A Day, Keeps The Doctor Away

There are many pet lovers on this blog and the article below reaffirms your pet-loving lifestyles is not just emotionally but physically good for you. The American Heart Association (AHA) issued a scientific statement last week saying owning a pet may help to decrease obesity, blood pressure and cholesterol. Notably, for those of us who are dog lovers, dogs showed the greatest benefit for pet owners in terms of health benefits.

The study of more than 5,200 adults tied the benefits not only to walking their pets but the calming effects of pets. Glenn N. Levine, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, stated “Pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, is probably associated with a decreased risk of heart disease.”

Here is the most interesting stat from the article. About 78.2 million people in the United States own a dog while 86.4 million have a cat. Cat lovers outnumber dog lovers by roughly 10 million! As a dog lover, I assume this is because cats are easier to house and require less space.

Source: Reuters