Tag Archives: Dog walking

A top cardio plan: Get a canine

Researchers have found that dog owners are more active — and the benefits may extend to diet and blood sugar levels. (For Spectrum Health Beat)

By Amy Norton, HealthDay


Your dog might be your heart’s best friend, if a new study is any indication.


Researchers found that compared with people who had no pets, dog owners tended to have fewer risk factors for heart disease: They got more exercise and had healthier diets and lower blood sugar levels.


Even compared with other pet owners, they were doing better with diet and exercise.


The study of nearly 1,800 Czech adults is not the first to suggest our canine friends can do our hearts good. In fact, in 2013 the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement saying that dog ownership is likely linked to a lower risk of heart disease.


That was largely based on evidence that people with dogs are more physically active. The new findings suggest the benefit might extend to diet and blood sugar levels.


It’s easy to see how having a dog could get people moving, according to senior researcher Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez.


And it’s possible that dog owners’ lower blood sugar levels were related to their exercise habits, said Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.


It’s less obvious, though, why dog ownership would encourage a healthier diet. One possibility is that the two are not directly related, he said.


On the other hand, past research has shown that dogs do more than demand walks and get us moving: They offer companionship and emotional support, according to Lopez-Jimenez.


“They can decrease your feelings of loneliness and give you a sense of purpose,” he said. “You have someone to look after.”


And that, he speculated, might encourage people to take better care of themselves.


Dr. Glenn Levine, a volunteer medical expert with the AHA, was lead author of its statement on pets and heart health. He said that, overall, there is “reasonably good data” that adopting a dog can increase people’s physical activity levels.


“That’s the strongest and most direct (cardiovascular) benefit,” said Levine, who is also a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.


He agreed, though, that pets might support heart health in less-direct ways, too.


“There may be other benefits as well—including reduced stress, greater companionship and happiness, and other factors that could lead people to take better care of themselves,” he said.


For the study, the researchers used data from a health survey of 1,769 Czech adults, aged 25 to 64.


Overall, more than two-thirds of dog owners (67%) met the “ideal” AHA recommendations for exercise. That means 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, each week—along with muscle strengthening exercises a couple of days per week.


In contrast, only 48% of people without pets met that ideal, as did 55% of other pet owners, the findings showed.


When it came to diet, few people met the AHA ideal, which includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, fiber-rich grains, fish and lean meat.


But dog owners were doing better than others: Fewer than 7% scored in the “poor” range for diet, versus 16% of people without pets and 13% of other pet owners.


Dog owners did, however, fall short in one heart-health measure: Their smoking rates were highest.


It’s not clear why, according to Lopez-Jimenez—and it might not hold true in other countries, such as the United States. In general, smoking is more common in Eastern Europe.


The bottom line, according to Levine, is that people might enjoy health benefits from having a canine companion. But the AHA does not advocate adopting a dog for that purpose.


“The primary purpose of adopting or rescuing a dog should be to give the dog a loving and caring home,” Levine said. “The health benefits that may come from this are a bonus.”


The findings were published recently in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.





Those perilous pooches

Researchers have found that injuries sustained while dog walking—fractures, specifically—have jumped 163 percent in the 65 and older group over the past 15 years. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay


Walking the dog can be great exercise for seniors, but there could be one downside: fractures.


Fractures suffered by elderly Americans while walking their dogs have more than doubled in recent years, new research shows.


Still, taking your dog for a walk can also bring big health rewards, one joint specialist said.


“Pets can provide companionship for older adults—and the physical exercise from regularly walking a dog may improve other aspects of physical and psychological health,” said Dr. Matthew Hepinstall, who wasn’t involved in the new study.


“So, the risks of walking a dog should be balanced against potential benefits,” said Hepinstall, who helps direct joint surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.


The new research was led by Kevin Pirruccio, a second-year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. His team tracked national data and found that among people aged 65 and older, fractures associated with walking leashed dogs rose from about 1,700 cases in 2004 to almost 4,400 cases in 2017—a 163 percent rise.


More than three-quarters of the fractures occurred in women, with hip and arm fractures being the most common. About half of all fractures occurred in the upper body, with fractures of the wrist, upper arm, finger and shoulder leading the way.


The most common type of fracture was a broken hip (17 percent). That’s cause for concern, Pirruccio’s team said, because the death rate linked to hip fractures in people older than 65 is close to 30 percent.


The researchers added that the study only involved data on fractures treated at emergency departments. The actual number of dog walking-related injuries among seniors might even be higher if injuries not typically seen in a hospital—for example, tendon or muscle tears—were factored in.

Why the rising rates of fractures tied to dog walking? The study authors theorized that increased pet ownership and a greater emphasis on physical activity for older adults may be driving the trend.


In a university news release, Pirruccio stressed that walking your pooch each day “has repeatedly demonstrated social, emotional and physical health benefits.” It’s also “a popular and frequently recommended activity for many older Americans seeking new ways to stay active,” he said.


On the other hand, “patients’ risks for falls must be factored into lifestyle recommendations in an effort to minimize such injuries,” Pirruccio said.


Hepinstall agreed.


“The take-home message for older adults and their families is that, when choosing to care for a pet, be sure to consider the strength and coordination of the older adult, and the size and expected behavior of the pet selected,” he advised.


Pet ownership and care may need to be re-assessed with age, Hepinstall added.


“When the mobility of older adults changes, they should be encouraged to re-evaluate their ongoing ability to care for any pets,” he said. “This will help ensure that the health and other needs of the adult and of the pet can be properly managed.”


The study was published recently in JAMA Surgery.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.