Researchers at the University of Michigan found that interacting with pet cats and dogs can help protect older adults from dementia. In a new study, participants who had a pet at home for five years or more scored better on memory tests than those without a furry companion.
What Scientists Discovered
Previous studies have shown that bonding with a pet benefits owners’ gut and heart health. Recently, a team set out to investigate whether those benefits extend to cognitive abilities as well.
This large-scale study relied on data collected over a six-year representative testing period. During that time, more than 20,000 adults aged 50 and older answered a variety of questions. The research team drew conclusions about the participants’ brain function based on whether they owned pets.
After analyzing the test results, the scientists were surprised to find that pet owners exhibited better brain function, particularly improved memory. The effect of having a cat or dog at home was especially pronounced among participants aged 65 and older. That is typically the age when symptoms of dementia begin to appear, as reported by ScienceAlert.
The team found that people in this age group who had a pet for more than five years performed significantly better on short-term and long-term memory tests than those without pets.
Cat and dog owners showed these encouraging results across the entire six-year period, even as they aged.
Pets Combat Loneliness and Depression
The study’s authors say that having a pet is linked to benefits — unless the owner is allergic to fur.
Dogs and cats encourage social interaction, which keeps the brain engaged. Plus, dog owners have to get up and walk their pets, which stimulates cognitive function because physical activity is closely tied to brain health.
Pets make people happier, reduce loneliness, and relieve stress. That matters more in later life, when people are often more isolated, and such isolation can change the brain’s structure and function.
All of this matters given the factors that contribute to dementia: lack of physical activity, loneliness, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety, and chronic stress. So, furry companions may protect people from a range of interconnected risks.
The study concludes that interacting with a companion animal throughout the day gives the brain regular exercise and may help guard against dementia.
