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Having a dog cuts dementia risk by 40pc, scientists claim
Pet owners are more likely to do exercise and avoid social isolation
Previous research found that the well-being of dog-owners was greater than people who had no pet during the coronavirus pandemic
Having a dog can reduce the risk of developing dementia in old age, according to research carried out in Japan.
A four-year study by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology monitored the well-being of nearly 12,000 residents of the city over the age of 65 and concluded that dog-owners were 40 per cent less likely to get dementia than those without a dog.
The research, published in the December edition of Preventive Medicine Reports, was the first time that scientists had established a clear link between owning a dog and the onset of dementia, the institute said.
The research team compared the mental health of elderly people who had never had a dog with those who did and therefore exercised, making new connections with people as they walked their pets, said Dr Yu Taniguchi, the lead author of the study.
“Having a dog enabled owners to habitually take exercise and avoid social isolation and these were the two key factors in people having a much lower risk of developing dementia,” Dr Taniguchi said.
‘Habit of physical activity’
The likelihood of a person developing dementia was higher if they owned a dog but did not take regular exercise and were socially isolated, he said, but the risk was still lower than someone without a dog at home who did not exercise or have opportunities to meet other people.
The research factored in other variables, including gender, marital status, educational level, income and history of illness, as well as the amount of exercise they took regardless of whether they had a pet or not. The average age of the 11,914 people who took part in the study was 74.2 years and 51.5 per cent of them were female.
“Having a dog effectively requires people to get into the habit of physical activity and that makes it much more likely that they will then have interactions and socialize with other people,” said Dr Taniguchi.
The study also examined links between pet cats and the onset of dementia, but found that having a feline companion had no discernible impact on the mental well-being of an owner.
Dr Taniguchi, who has a Jack Russell terrier, ascribes this to the fact that owners do not walk their cats and they do not bring people together socially in the way that dogs do.
He added that he was not surprised by the group’s findings, as earlier research had identified the potential health benefits of pets.
Caring for either a cat or dog at home has been linked to reduced frailty in old age, slowed cognitive decline, delayed onset of disabilities and death from all causes, he said.
Previous research also determined that dog-owners had better well-being than those with no pet during the coronavirus pandemic, a finding that is also likely linked to fewer opportunities to partake in exercise or meet other people in person.
Japan, with a population of 125 million, had some 7.1 million pet dogs in 2022, significantly fewer than the 13 million pet dogs in the UK, which has a population of 67.3 million.
The Age UK charity said studies have shown that people with pets typically have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while animals improve the physical, emotional and social well-being of older people.
There are a number of private organizations across the UK that take pets into care homes, schools, facilities for people with disabilities and prisons to provide people with comfort and stimulation.
注释：
Geriatrics: n
表示" 老年病学；老人保健学"，如：Geriatrics deals with prevention and treatment of diseases once assumed to be inevitable in the elderly. 老人医学以老人疾病的治疗和预防为其主要目标。
Gerontology: n
表示"老年学"，如：Gerontology has suddenly become popular. 老年学突然变得受欢迎了。
onset: n
表示"开始; 进攻"，means "the beginning or early stages; (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)"，如：The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection. 这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。The onset of the enemy took us by surprise. 敌人的进攻出乎我们意外。
factor：n
表示"把 ... 因素包括进去"，means "resolve into factors"，如：Pack access has also been factored into the design. 包访问也被考虑到的设计。
discernible：adj
表示" 可辨别的"，means "capable of being seen or noticed"，如：His face was barely discernible in the gloom. 在黑暗中很难看得清他的脸。
ascribe: v
表示" 归因于；归于"，means " believe (sth) to be the result or work of"，如：You should not ascribe your failure to bad luck. 你不应该把自己的失败归因于运气不好。
中文简要说明：
世卫统计全球失智症患者已5000万人且快速增加趋势，到2050年恐达1.52亿例。日本最新高龄者调查研究发现，养狗对于失智有抑制效果，家里养狗的长者比没养狗的银发族罹患失智症的风险大降4成之多，养猫与否的发病机率差异不大。研究团队表示，这是科学家首度在养狗与失智症发病之间建立明确关联。「狗是人类的好朋友」理由又多了一项。
综合日本《每日新闻》、英国《电讯报》报导，这项研究成果由东京都健康长寿医疗中心发表。报告第一作者、日本国立环境研究所环境流行病学主任研究员谷口优说，养狗能让饲主保持日常运动习惯、与社会互动，由此降低痴呆风险。研究结果刊登于今年12月号的期刊《预防医学报告》（Preventive Medicine Reports）。
研究团队配合东京都流行病学调查工作，对1万1194名65岁至84岁长者分析2016年至2020年罹患失智症比例。这些老人平均年龄74.2岁，51.5%为女性。
研究人员计算发病风险的「胜算比」（Odds Ratio）发现，若未养猫或狗的长者比率为1，那么养狗的老人发病比率为0.6，养猫的老人为0.98。进一步个别比较长者养狗或养猫与否的失智风险，养狗的老人家风险少了4成，养猫的老人家发病机率则无明显差异。这项研究也纳入其他变动因素，包括性别、婚姻状况、教育程度、收入、病史、运动量。
谷口自己也养了一只杰克罗素㹴（Jack Russell terrier）。他指出，养狗的人出门遛狗机会大增，让饲主保有运动习惯，出了门就能增加与人互动机会可避免社交孤立，这是能锻炼大脑、让失智风险明显降低的2大关键因素。
运动量会影响失智风险。养狗的长者若未定期出门活动、不与人来往，发生痴呆问题的风险会增加，但机率还是比家里没养狗、不运动、没有机会与他人见面互动的长者低。相较于养狗，养猫的人不需要出门遛猫，也很少像养狗的人们一样聚在一起社交。然而，很少运动且与社会隔离的人，养狗并不能预防失智发生。
谷口补充，早期研究已确定宠物对人类健康有潜在益处。在家照顾猫或狗，与老人家体力衰弱、认知能力退化、残疾发生、各种原因造成的死亡得以减缓之间存有关联。另有研究指出，新冠肺炎大流行期间养狗的人幸福感强过没养宠物的人，这可能也与饲主有机会运动、与他人面对面互动有关。
失智症是大脑功能衰退症候群的统称，以阿兹海默症最常见，各种失智症与大脑蛋白质异常累积有关，运动可以减少这类蛋白质累积，同时让脑部血流充足、刺激脑细胞生长存活。心智与社交保持活跃也有助于预防失智。
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