![It's proven: having a dog is good for your health](https://img.passeportsante.net/1000x526/2017-12-14/i68011-c-est-prouve-avoir-un-chien-est-bon-pour-la-sante.jpg)
December 25, 2017.
Having a dog is good for your health. Studies prove it, and the latest only confirms this scientific truth.
Having a dog would increase life expectancy
Would dog owners live longer than others? Many studies have already addressed this question but, for the first time, a very large-scale investigation tends to prove, once and for all, the benefit of the company of canines on humans.
This study was carried out in Sweden. The custom in this country is that each person owning an animal is registered as such when they are hospitalized.. To carry out their study, the authors, researchers at the University of Uppsala, cross-checked this information and medical data to compare them to the entire population without dogs.
Owning a dog affects the gut microbiota
Conclusion at the end of this analysis: dog owners would indeed be in better health, especially those who are alone. ” Owners living alone with their dog have a 33% lower risk of dying prematurely, as well as an 11% lower risk of having a myocardial infarction, compared to other people living alone without a dog », Can we read in the review Nature Scientific Reports.
The comparison of the authors does not stop there, and they even recorded statistics according to the breed of the dogs. Swedes who owned pointers were found to have a 10% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. If these figures are still a mystery to the authors of this study, the scientific community agrees that dogs are good for health, they are often a source of physical activity, they also act on the intestinal microbiota and, according to a recent study, would also allow children to have better self-confidence.
Gaelle Latour
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