by Caleb Wyeth

Created on: October 04, 2009   Last Updated: October 08, 2009

Do pets make you healthier?

According to an article published in the University of Missouri MU News Bureau, there is reason to believe so. In the September 2009 article, A Pet in Your Life Keeps the Doctor Away, the University's College of Veterinary Medicine Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) sees enough potential in the notion that pets make you healthier that they intend to dedicate a conference this fall to efforts to "explore the many ways animals benefit people of all ages."

Pet owners have long held firm belief in the benefits of pet ownership, both tangible and intangible. Ask any proud pet owner if he or she feels there are real health benefits to owning their pet, and they will invariably and without hesitation say "yes". The concept is not new, but there has been relatively little formal research on the subject. However, as James A. Griffin, PhD, and a scientist with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) points out in the article, the few studies that have been conducted suggest that pet ownership does indeed have many scientifically verifiable physical and mental health benefits for both children and adults.

The University of Missouri is not the only organization interested in pursuing this line of research. Recent surveys and studies have been conducted by the likes of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, and others indicating a strong relationship between improved physical and mental health and people who maintain pets.

Why, and how, do pets benefit people this way? And to what extent can pet owners expect to see the benefits manifested in their own health? Of the many beneficial side-effects of pet ownership, those frequently cited include:

Reduced levels of stress Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease Higher survival rates of heart attacks Encourages exercise Significantly less need of use of general health practitioner services Reduced risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pet allergens during the first year of their lives Better physical and psychological well-being in seniors An overall boost in quality of life Helping to balance and counteract an increasingly technological world

While one can deduce the reasons pet ownership could lead to the types of health benefits listed above, there is little documented and scientific evidence along those lines. Still, many people consider

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