A New Study Says That Having Pets Could Help Fight Memory Loss As You Age
According to a new study conducted by the American Academy of Neurology, owning a pet like a dog or a cat for at least five years or longer may be linked to “slower cognitive decline” in older adults.
“Prior studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits like decreasing blood pressure and stress,” said Dr. Tiffany Bradley, author of the study and member of the American Academy of Neurology from Michigan State University.
“Our results suggest pet-ownership may also be protective against cognitive decline.”
The study used data from 1,369 participants, all of them being older adults. They were the average age of 65 and had ‘normal’ cognitive skills at the beginning of the study.
53% of the participants owned pets, while the other 32% of them were ‘long-term pet owners,’ otherwise known as having had pets for over five years or more.
The participants were given a series of cognitive tests based on research from the Health and Retirement study.
The tests were used to develop a “composite cognitive score for each person” ranging from zero to 27.
The participant’s scores were then used to estimate the links between owning a pet and cognitive function.
Over a span of six years, researchers discovered that the cognitive scores in pet owners decreased at a slower rate than the others. The study notes that the difference was the “strongest” among the long-term pet owners.
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Notably, the long-term pet owners had a cognitive score that was 1.2 points higher over the six years than non-pet owners.
“As stress can negatively affect cognitive function,” said Dr. Bradley. “The potential stress-buffering effects of pet ownership could provide a plausible reason for our findings.”
Dr. Bradley also explains that owning pets also increases one’s physical activity, which could “benefit cognitive health.”
More research needs to be conducted for these doctors and researchers to confirm their results and the “underlying mechanisms” for this association.
One limitation of the study was that the length of pet ownership was “assessed only at one time point.” Therefore, information regarding ongoing pet ownership was unavailable.
Nevertheless, it is a win in the pet owner’s book.
You can read more about the original study here.
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