Marcella La Cioppa According to recent research, dog owners have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia.
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The research
A recent research has established that older adults with dogs are far less likely to develop dementia compared to people without dogs.
The research was conducted by researchers at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology (TMIG). According to the researchers, this is the first research to directly establish a correlation between dog ownership and the development of dementia.
Findings of the research
TMIG, the research arm of the Tokyo metropolitan government, conducted a rigorous study from 2016 to 2020. It looked at data regarding 11,194 women and men aged 65 and older in Tokyo. Findings indicated that 5% of them had developed dementia. However, dog owners were discovered to be 40% less likely to have developed dementia than their dog-less counterparts.
Moreover, researchers found that dog owners who continued a consistent exercise program and maintained a social lifestyle experienced an even lesser chance of contracting dementia.
What about cats?
Interestingly enough, the same was not the case with cats. Researchers failed to find any considerable difference between dementia rates in cat owners and people who owned no pets at all.
Source: PubMed
