Summary: Dog owners may enjoy measurable cardiovascular benefits. Analysis from the Kardiovize Brno 2030 cohort shows that pet owners—especially those who own dogs—report better physical health, higher levels of physical activity, and healthier diets than people without pets, and they score higher on cardiovascular health measures.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Overview
A recent analysis using baseline data from the Kardiovize Brno 2030 project suggests that pet ownership, and particularly dog ownership, is associated with improved cardiovascular health indicators. Published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, this study examines how owning a dog correlates with established cardiovascular risk factors and overall heart-health metrics.
Study design and participants
The Kardiovize Brno 2030 study established a detailed baseline of health and socioeconomic information for more than 2,000 residents of Brno, Czech Republic, between January 2013 and December 2014. The cohort is scheduled for periodic follow-up assessments at five-year intervals through 2030. For the 2019 analysis described here, researchers evaluated 1,769 participants who had no prior history of cardiovascular disease.
The investigators scored each participant using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 metrics: body mass index, diet quality, physical activity, smoking status, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol. The analysis compared cardiovascular health scores between pet owners and non-pet owners and then specifically contrasted dog owners with owners of other pets and with people who did not own pets.
Key findings
About 42% of participants reported owning a pet; 24.3% owned a dog and 17.9% owned another type of animal. Overall, pet owners tended to report higher levels of physical activity, better diets, and more favorable fasting glucose levels. These favorable behaviors translated into higher cardiovascular health scores compared with non-pet owners.
The strongest and most consistent benefits were seen among dog owners. After adjusting for age, sex, education, and other factors, dog owners had significantly higher cardiovascular health scores than non-pet owners and owners of other types of pets. Compared with non-pet owners, dog owners were more likely to reach recommended levels of physical activity and to follow a healthier diet—two behavioral metrics strongly linked to heart health.
Expert perspectives
Andrea Maugeri, Ph.D., a researcher affiliated with the International Clinical Research Center at St. Anne’s University Hospital in Brno and the University of Catania, notes that pet ownership in general was associated with healthier behaviors, but the benefits were most pronounced for people who owned dogs. “The greatest benefits from having a pet were for those who owned a dog, independent of their age, sex and education level,” Dr. Maugeri said.
Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., chair of the Division of Preventive Cardiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and a senior investigator on the study, emphasized that dog ownership often encourages regular activity. “Having a dog may prompt owners to go out, move around and play with their dog regularly,” he said. Prior research has also linked dog ownership to improvements in mental well-being and reduced feelings of social isolation—factors that can influence cardiovascular risk.
Implications
While observational and not proof of causation, the study supports the notion that dog ownership can be part of a lifestyle that promotes cardiovascular health—largely through increased physical activity and healthier dietary habits. The authors suggest that adopting or rescuing a dog could be considered one element of a broader strategy to encourage more active living, provided the decision is appropriate and sustainable for the individual and the animal.
Funding and collaboration
The research was conducted in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, the International Clinical Research Center at St. Anne’s University Hospital, and the University of Catania. Support came from the National Program of Sustainability and the European Regional Development Fund.
Media contacts: Press Office – Mayo Clinic
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Original research (open access): “Dog Ownership and Cardiovascular Health: Results From the Kardiovize 2030 Project.” Authors: Andrea Maugeri, Jose R. Medina-Inojosa, Sarka Kunzova, Martina Barchitta, Antonella Agodi, Manlio Vinciguerra, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez. Published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2019.07.007
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the relationship between pet ownership—specifically dog ownership—and cardiovascular disease risk factors and cardiovascular health metrics within a randomly selected prospective cohort in Central Europe.
Patients and Methods: The analysis included 1,769 adults aged 25 to 64 years with no history of cardiovascular disease, recruited between January 1, 2013, and December 19, 2014. Researchers compared sociodemographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, and Life’s Simple 7 cardiovascular health metrics (body mass index, diet quality, physical activity, smoking, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol) among pet owners, non-pet owners, dog owners, and other subgroups.
Results: Approximately 42% of participants reported owning a pet. Pet owners—particularly dog owners—were more likely to meet recommended levels for physical activity, diet quality, and fasting glucose. These differences produced higher overall cardiovascular health scores among pet owners compared with non-owners. After adjusting for covariates, dog ownership remained significantly associated with higher cardiovascular health scores compared with non-pet owners and owners of other pets.
Conclusion: Aside from a higher prevalence of smoking in some groups, dog owners were more likely to meet behavioral cardiovascular health recommendations—especially for physical activity and diet—resulting in better overall cardiovascular health compared with those who did not own dogs.