A new prospective study has found that dog ownership can help adults over the age of 65 reduce the odds of disabling dementia by as much as 40 percent.
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Backstory
The researchers conducting the current study also conducted a previous study which revealed that older adults who had owned a dog and/or cat had lower risk of incident frailty, with dog owners at baseline showing 0.81 times the likelihood of developing incident frailty than never dog owners during 2-year follow-up period. Dementia is known as a prognostic factor of frailty, and is the main cause of disability and a leading cause of mortality in old age. Therefore, the scientists wanted to know whether dog-ownership (associated with increased exercise and social interactions) would reduce the incidence of dementia.
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Study overview
Researchers surveyed more than 11,194 physically and cognitively independent people between the ages of 65 and 84 in 2016, with a follow-up four years later. To be eligible for the study, individuals had to have received an assessment for incident disabling dementia. Participants were asked whether they owned cats, dogs, or had no pets, as well as which types of exercise they engaged in more than once per week, such as walking, running, yoga, swimming, and cycling. After four years, researchers reassessed participants’ health conditions, and whether or not they had developed any dementia symptoms.
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Results overview
The present study demonstrated that dog ownership has a protective effect on incident disabling dementia. The risk for dog owners developing dementia was calculated as 0.6, whereas cat owners were at 0.98 risk and 1.0 for people who did not have any dogs or cats. The data showed that dog owners with an exercise habit and no social isolation had a significantly lower risk of disabling dementia. In other words, the current study showed that physical activity, including having an exercise habit and social participation through daily dog care can prevent dementia in older adults.
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How dog ownership may help prevent dementia
The researchers hypothesized that those people who reported having a dog were more likely to get out of the house more frequently than those who care-take for cats and those people who have no pets. This likely leads to increased interactions with other humans, which has been shown in previous studies to have a “suppressive effect” on dementia. Additionally, because dog owners are generally more active, exercise may well play a critical role in reducing the risk for dementia. How so? Exercise reduces an abnormal build-up of proteins in the brain that are found in dementia patients, as well as promoting the flow of blood to the brain and stimulating cell growth and survival.
Journal reference: Taniguchi Y, Seino S, Ikeuchi T, Hata T, Shinkai S, Kitamura A, Fujiwara Y. Protective effects of dog ownership against the onset of disabling dementia in older community-dwelling Japanese: A longitudinal study. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2023 Oct 7;36:102465. PMID: 37860160; PMCID: PMC10583170.
doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102465
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