Owning Dogs Leads to a Healthier Heart

This is major news today in the US. The American Heart Association has created a new message to Americans about their heart health:

This comes as no surprise to those of us with dogs. We already know from personal experience that our dogs help us lead more active, social, and stress free lives. We know that we are calmer when our dogs are sleeping at our feet while we work or curled up on the couch next to us while we relax. We know that when we leave them for work or to go on a trip even if we know they are perfectly safe and taken care of that we feel more anxiety.

Several months ago I visited Purina. I enjoy traveling and I love to hang out with Blogging friends but there is always that little bit of anxiety when top people from a company come into the room and speak to you. On our first morning there we were sitting around having breakfast and getting ready for our speakers when in walked the 2 Purina Cats to come and hang out with us. The feel in the room completely changed. The cat Bloggers were over the moon and even the dog bloggers were happy to see the cats come and visit. The speakers who were all nervous that we were there relaxed when they saw how we were interacting with the cats. The Purina cats broke the ice between the Bloggers and the Brand. There were smiles on everyone’s faces and instead of being us and them we were all animal lovers. (Don’t worry we got to hang out with the dogs later in the day.)

But that was just it. Each time we bumped into the dogs that came into work with their owners that day we all wanted to stop and say hello. The stress was gone. And we were able to learn and interact and engage with each other.

This statement by the American Heart Association will come as no surprise:

People who own dogs certainly have more reason to get outside and take walks, and studies show that most owners form such close bonds with their pets that being in their presence blunts the owners’ reactions to stress and lowers their heart rate, said Dr. Glenn N. Levine, the head of the committee that wrote the statement.

No matter if its rain or shine, snow, sleet, or hail we are outside walking our dogs. While other people are couped up in their houses because it is too cold or hot or wet to be outside we are. Literally Davinia and Indiana do not care what the weather is they want to go for a walk. It might not be a long one but they want to go outside. Being outside we get to be out in the sun, breath fresh air, and eat grass. Ok the girls eat the grass but the three of us get the other benefits.

One of the multiple studies that were done to come up with the American Heart Associations findings included 48 stressed stockbrokers with hypertension were put on medication that lowered their blood pressure, and then researchers divided them into groups. Those in one group were told to adopt a dog or cat. Six months later, the researchers found that when the stockbrokers who had adopted pets were around their new companions, they were markedly calmer in the face of stressful events than the stockbrokers without pets. While I don’t think being a stock broker is the most stressful job in the world it can certainly be stressful and would be a good indicator if dogs can help to reduce stress. Maybe we should as a country offer therapy dogs in the break room at Air Traffic Control as a way to help keep those that work there a little more stress free.

Researchers do warn that just adopting a dog or cat in order to magically lower your blood pressure and risk of heart disease will not work. You still have to get off of the couch and make healthy decisions for yourself. Sharing an Extra Large Pizza with your dog will not help your heart or their heart in any fashion though it may keep you calmer. If however you adopt a dog as part of your decision to spend more time outside, go on walks, make healthier food choices (like our Kale Chips {I promise they do taste good} or Asparagus and Salmon Sushi Salad and lead a more stress free life you will have a healthier eart and a better chance of surviving heart disease.

Barbara George, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Lifestyle Medicine at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., told HealthDay “Pets tug at our heartstrings, but they also improve our health — both mental and physical — helping us to live longer and happier lives,”



You can read the entire report here: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/05/09/CIR.0b013e31829201e1.full.pdf+html?sid=f4cd3c46-756b-4556-b89a-34e3cc6d0f4b