Explained: Why pets make you healthy

On Tuesday, animal lovers across the globe celebrated World Animal Day. The day is marked to create awareness about improving animal welfare standards. But few of us are aware about the health benefits of keeping pets. Let’s take a closer look: Pet ownership in India While pet ownership grew across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, it exploded in India. As per Economic Times, India has 32 million pets – a number that is growing in excess of 12 per cent yearly.

That number was at 18 million in 2016 and 24 million in 2019.

The drivers? Millennials and Gen Z. While an overwhelming majority of pets are dogs, cats have also seen an increase in adoption due to their independent nature and low maintenance, as per Mint. Benefits of pet ownership The benefits of pet ownership are myriad – from providing a buffer against stress to social support and staying in shape. The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center says pet ownership has been shown to:

• Buffer stress
• Lower heart rate
• Lower blood pressure
• Give social support
• Help you stay in shape
• Prevent certain sicknesses

Heart health As per heart.org, studies show dog owners may outlive non-dog owners. A study from the American Heart Association (AHA) shows that those with prior heart events have a 65 per cent reduced risk of death when they have a dog at home.

Even better, dog owners are 31 per cent less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke compared to non-dog owners.

Pet ownership is an important form of social support that can benefit patients with heart disease or stroke, as per the AHA. HappiestHealth.com quoted Dr Suwen Kumar, interventional cardiologist, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA, as saying: “Many studies show mental and physical health benefits of having a pet. The major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases is stress. Pets help reduce mental stress and you tend to stay physically active as well. When you have a pet, you are forced to go out at least twice every day. It breaks you from your sedentary lifestyle. They improve oxytocin, or what is called love hormones,” he says, adding that the bond with a pet is satisfying. Their love is unconditional and they have no expectations. “Dogs pick on your energy. Hence, if you are stressed, they can get stressed too.” Lowering stress, helping with diabetes According to the AHA, seeing, touching hearing or talking to companion animals supresses stress hormones.

It also unleashes goodwill, joy, nurturing and happiness within.

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The CDC says having a pet is believed to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, especially for those that are hypertensive or at high-risk. A study in the journal PLOS ONE recently found that dogs can detect stress in humans with more than 90 per cent accuracy. “This study demonstrates that dogs can discriminate between the breath and sweat taken from humans before and after a stress-inducing task. This finding tells us that an acute, negative, psychological stress response alters the odour profile of our breath and sweat, and that dogs are able to detect this change in odour,” the study authors wrote. The mere act of petting a dog decreases blood pressure, according to the AHA. “Dogs are very present. If someone is struggling with something, they know how to sit there and be loving,” News In Health quoted Dr Ann Berger, a physician and researcher at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, as saying. “Their attention is focused on the person all the time.” “The foundations of mindfulness include attention, intention, compassion, and awareness,” Berger says. “All of those things are things that animals bring to the table. People kind of have to learn it. Animals do this innately.” [caption id=“attachment_11400671” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Cats have been gaining popularity in India when it comes to adopting pets. Image courtesy @HealthforAnimals[/caption] An article entitled ‘Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Health in the US General Population’ in The American Journal of Cardiology in 2020 showed pet owners tend to have higher haemoglobin, lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and a lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), systemic hypertension (SH) and stroke. _News In Health q_uoted a recent study as showing that caring for fish helped teens with diabetes better manage their disease. Researchers had a group of teens with type 1 diabetes care for a pet fish twice a day by feeding and checking water levels. The caretaking routine also included changing the tank water each week. This was paired with the children reviewing their blood glucose (blood sugar) logs with parents. Compared with teens who weren’t given a fish to care for, fish-keeping teens were more disciplined about checking their own blood glucose levels, which is essential to maintain health. Increased physical activity OSU researchers said pets provide physical benefits by keeping their owners active through walks, attention, play time, baths, and overall care. Research published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine showed dog-walking to promote regular physical activity. Dr Suwen says that while elderly people in India might have support, but they may not be as physically active as pet parents. “Even though in India, older people stay with their kids and have love and support, they are not that physically active. You see the kids and the elderly, all hooked to their phones. In a family with kids and dogs, you will observe that kids are physically active too and do not tend to spend much time on their gadgets. But having said that, if you own a pet, you should also do justice to it. You need to provide them with proper care and training,” he adds. Loneliness As per Forbes, pets can combat depression, particularly in the sick and elderly, by offering a sense of purpose and connection. Studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood, as per News in Health. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.