Can pets save our brain?

There are several studies on the benefits of pets in some people. Among them are the Adults greater. In relation to this, a study was carried out that resulted in people with domestic animals they have a slower cognitive decline.

Brain: pets protect the brain as we age

A was made study which suggests that for old people have a pet it is even better than what was already known. The investigation was published by the specialists of the University of MichiganUSA.

“Previous studies have suggested that the bond between a human and an animal may have health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and stress,” the company said in a news release. Dr. Tiffany Braley, of the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, who led the study. “Our results suggest that Having pets may also protect against cognitive decline“.

For the investigation of braley information was used from Health and Retirement Studyan evaluation that analyzed the cognitive data of 1,369 beneficiaries of Medicare. All the volunteers were older adults with a age average of 65 yearsThey had normal cognitive abilities at the start of the study. He 53% had petsand the 32% had been pet owners for an extended period of five years or more.

pets.jpg

Freepik.

For that study of Medicarethe specialists were in charge of measure cognitive function through various tests, including: counting numbers, doing subtraction problems, and remembering words. The participants received a punctuation cognition of 0 to 27 based on your performance.

After six yearsthe cognitive scores declined at a slower rate in pet owners, especially in the third that fell into the category of long-term pet owners. On average, they had a cognitive score compound that was 1.2 points higher compared to those without pets.

“I definitely think having a pet changes things,” says the sitter lorie martan, 60 years old. “Anything that helps stimulate the brain is good, plus all the love you give to the animal.”

“Overall, we’re seeing more and more evidence that when people interact with their own pets or those of others, they experience less stress,” he says. Sandra BarkerPhD, founding director of Center for Human-Animal Interaction in Richmond, GOES. “Some of the physiological tests include increased levels of oxytocin [una hormona involucrada en el vínculo social y materno] and lower systolic blood pressure in people who are often around animals.”