A study of 3.4 million people suggests dog owners are less likely to develop heart disease

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November 17, 2017 4:47 PM

A massive 12-year study found that people who own dogs have a lower risk of death from heart diseases — especially those with hunting dogs.

A 12-year study of 3.4 million Swedes found that dog owners are less likely than their peers to develop heart disease.
The study authors said that single dog-owners were especially protected.
Scientists aren't sure whether owning a pet causes better health or whether it's just an indicator of a better life.

Pet ownership may be a prescription for good health.

A massive, 12-year study of 3.4 million Swedish people released Friday in the journal Scientific Reports reveals that adult dog owners are less likely to die than their dog-free peers.

For the study, researchers from Uppsala University compared data from Sweden's national dog ownership registry with hospital visits for adults aged 40 to 80. (That analysis would be nearly impossible to replicate in the US, since American pet owners are not required to register their pooches the way Swedes are.)

Researchers started following the 3.4 million people in 2001, and selected the group so that no participants had pre-existing heart conditions. After 12 years, they found that people with dogs had a 23% reduced risk of death from cardiac diseases like heart failure, stroke, or heart attack than their dog-less peers. Dog owners were also 20% less likely to die, period.

Mwenya Mubanga, lead junior author of the study, said in a release.

study in Sweden backs up a similar finding that the American Heart Association reported in 2013. The AHA said dog owners get more exercise, have better blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and even have “diminished sympathetic responses” to stress.

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