Dog owners and the reduced risk of dementia

Some good Friday news for all of you dog owners out there.

A recent study in Japan showed that in dog owners over 65 the risk of the onset of dementia was reduced by 40%.

But do not fear if you are younger than this, another study from the US showed a 30% reduction in all population ages from owning a dog.

Whilst I would love to say that the study shows that dogs are the magic medicine, it actually comes down to sweat.

If you currently do not own a dog then the magic formula is to raise your heart rate 3 to 5 times a week in whatever activity you love doing.

The link between cardiovascular health and the onset of dementia is being made more evident with each and every study.

More and more evidence is pointing towards the fact that we need to be more active. Dogs and dog ownership therefore help achieve this without any extra effort.

You don’t even need to raise your heartbeat by that much.

The studies show that even going for a medium length walk 3 to 5 times a week shows significant results.

Activity and connections are also key to both happiness and reducing the risk of dementia. As dog owners we all know that we talk to a lot of other dog owners whilst out and about.

It would seem that without knowing our dogs are providing us with many extra years to enjoy life.

Doggies: Vali, Disco, Deano, Billie, Brett and Frøya