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Benefits of keeping pets

Benefits of keeping pets

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Benefits of keeping pets at home

• Decreased blood pressure.
• Decreased cholesterol levels.
• Decreased triglyceride levels.
• Decreased feelings of loneliness.
• Increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities.
• Increased opportunities for socialization.

Pets help you brush off rejection

One of the benefits of owning a pet? Thinking of your pet as part of the family could help you get over social rejection. A study in the journal Anthrozoös asked volunteers to think about a past experience when they’d felt rejected, then to name a photo of a cat, dog, person, or toy. When asked about their feelings again, those who named an animal or a toy with humanlike qualities felt less negatively than those who’d given names to people. The researchers say people inclined to treat animals or objects like people (like when you talk to your pet) are also more prone to having traits like empathy and unconventional thinking to guard them against that negativity

Pets make you less lonely

Loneliness has been associated with heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other negative outcomes, but older adults who owned pets were 36 percent less likely to say they were lonely than those who didn’t have a furry friend, according to a study published in Aging & Mental Health. Especially among those who live alone, a pet could offer social interaction when other people aren’t around, the authors report 

Pets protect your heart

Owning a cat could lower your risk of dying from heart disease, a study in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology reports. The researchers found that those who said they’d owned a cat at some point in their lives had a lower risk of dying of a heart attack during the 20-year study than those who’d never owned one. Cats might help relax people during stress, or cat owners might tend to have traits that make them less at-risk.

Pets help keep your brain sharp

Research published in Anthrozoös found that older homebound adults who owned cats or dogs had better executive function (the skills you need to pay attention, remember details, and use past experience to decide how to act) than those who didn’t own a pet

Pets encourage you to get more exercise

Of course your pup needs walks, but that stroll is good for your health too—and dog owners don’t just use those jaunts to replace the exercise they’d do otherwise. A Michigan State University study found that one of the benefits of owning a pet are that people who own dogs exercise about half an hour more per week than those who don’t live with a dog.

Pets ease your pain

The benefits of having a dog don't stop with walking.  Spending time with your pet might help keep you off pain meds. A study in Anthrozoös found that adults who spent five to 15 minutes with a dog after joint replacement surgery used less pain medication than those who didn’t have animal-assisted therapy.

Pets make your kid less likely to have allergies

Babies with pets in the house are less likely to develop allergies later in life, according to a study in Clinical & Experimental Allergy. The study found that 18-year-olds who’d had a cat or dog in the family when they were less than a year old were about half as likely to be allergic to that animal as those who didn’t have an animal in the house. But early-life exposure is key—adopting a pet later as an adult won’t help your immune system in the same way.

Pets might help your child take better care of her blood sugar

Nine- to 19-year-olds who help take care of a pet are better at managing type 1 diabetes than those who aren’t responsible for a pet, according to a small study in the journal PLoS ONE. Kids who actively cared for a pet—not just saying they loved the family’s cat or dog—were 2.5 times more likely to keep up healthy blood sugar levels, the study found. The authors say kids who are in charge of pets might feel more responsible and be more used to routines.

Pets can help fight cancer

One of the incredible benefits of owning a pet might be in their ability to help detect cancer. According to a study published in British Medical Journal, dogs can accurately sniff out early stage bowel cancer with a surprisingly high degree of accuracy. A specifically trained Labrador completed 74 sniff tests, comprised of breath and stool samples. With these tests, the dog was able to correctly identify which samples were cancerous in 33 of 36 breath tests and 37 of 38 stool tests. Scientists indicate that there is also additional research and anecdotal evidence of dogs being able to accurately sniff out other forms of cancer as well, such as bladder, skin, lung, breast, and ovarian cancers.

Source: rd.com/

Scientifically Proven Health Benefits Of Being a Cat Owner

 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits Of Being a Cat Owner

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They’re fluffy, independent, the internet's in love with them, and there is scientific proof that having a furry roo mate is actually all kinds of good for your health. Whether you live with a cuddly lap cat or a quiet introvert who loves their space, having a feline around you can be just as rewarding and beneficial as any other animal friendship.

In honor of International Cat Day, we collected a few little-known scientific facts that prove how awesome cats really are.

1. THEY CAN LOWER YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE

       Studies have found that owning a cat can lower your stress level which in turn will have a knock-on effect on your risk of cardiovascular disease. Owning a cat can actually lower ones risk of various heart diseases, including stroke, by around 30 percent.

2. THEIR PURRING HELPS TO HEAL BONES, TENDONS AND MUSCLES

A cat purring is one of the most comforting sounds in the world and while it certainly means your cat is happy and comfortable, the sound has also been long associated with a  therapeutic healing ability on human bones and muscle.

A cats purr creates vibrations at a frequency of 20-140 HZ, and studies have shown that frequencies in the 18-35 HZ range have a positive effect on joint mobility after injury, scientists have begun talking about how the cat noise could help humans.

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3. YOU'LL SLEEP BETTER

Several studies in the UK have found that people (especially women) prefer to sleep with their cats over their partners, and they even report sleeping better with a cat than with a human bed companion. A recent study from the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine was able to confirm those findings: 41 percent of the people in that study indicated that they slept better because of their pet, while only 20 percent said that it led to disturbances.

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4. THEY'LL MAKE YOU MORE ATTRACTIVE (TO WOMEN)

Research conducted by leading pet researcher Dr June Nicolls found that women were more likely to be attracted to men with pets with a whopping 90 percent of single women perceiving men with cats as nicer and more caring than those without. 

5. THEY REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY

Having a cat around you can actually trigger the release of calming chemicals in your body which lower your stress and anxiety leves. Cats are known for being super low-maintenance and a simple petting session is usually enough to make both you and your cat happy.

6. CATS MEAN FEWER ALLERGIES (FOR YOUR KIDS)

In 2002, the National Institutes of Health released a study that found children under a year old who were exposed to a cat to be less likely to develop all kinds of allergies. According to Marshall Plaut, M.D., chief of the allergic mechanisms section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "high pet exposure early in life appears to protect against not only pet allergy but also other types of common allergies, such as allergy to dust mites, ragweed, and grass."

7. EVEN JUST WATCHING CAT VIDEOS IS GOOD FOR YOU

A study of over 7,000 people by Indiana University Bloomington found that watching cat videos on the internet boosts viewers’ energy and positive emotions while decreasing negative feelings. Turns out all those hours spent on YouTube actually did you some good.

Courtesy: Good net.org