National Pet Day 2019: Five amazing health benefits of owning pets

National pet day is singled out so that we can celebrate the joy of having the flurry four, two legged legs and the many counts of blessings they continue to shower us without taking any credit. Not only do they keep the house alive with their presence, owning a pet can have countless health benefits. They ahve been found to decrease depression, stress and anxiety. New studies also indicate that dogs are capable of detecting cancer plus smelling out epilepsy before it strikes. 

Below are some of the few health benefits owning a pet can do wonders in your life:

Pets help fight stress: A Swedish study found that female volunteers had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol 15 to 30 minutes after petting a dog.The study showed an increased level of the happy hormone oxytocin between one and five minutes later, and their heart rates were lower up to an hour later after being in the presence of dogs.

Lowers the risk of a heart attack: Not much of a cat person? Think again! A study in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology reports that cat owners at some point in their lives had a lower risk of dying of a heart attack during the 20-year study than those who’d never owned one.

Pets can sniff out cancer: For long, there have been a lot of studies suggesting that dogs can sniff out cancer. A study published in the British Medical Journal recorded that dogs can accurately sniff out early stage bowel cancer with a surprisingly high degree of accuracy. The study showed that trained Labrador was able to correctly identify which samples were cancerous in 33 of 36 breath tests and 37 of 38 stool tests for types of cancer such as bladder, skin, lung, breast, and ovarian cancers. 

Pets make you feel less lonely: While being lonely is associated with a lady with a house full of cats, the real truth of loneliness is way harsher. Loneliness has been associated with heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other negative outcomes, and a study published in Aging & Mental Health showed that older adults who owned pets were 36 percent less likely to say they were lonely than those who didn’t own pets.

Pets help keep your brain sharp: By keeping your brain, it does not mean keeping an eye on the flurry friends that they do not chew on the cable wires of break the flower pots. Research published in Anthrozoös found that older homebound adults who owned cats or dogs had better executive function than those who didn’t keep a pet.