ABC News
by Dr. Kimberly Dike

Every day, the dogs need a walk. Every day, they're helping their owners' hearts in more ways than one. According to a new study published by Mayo Clinic, people who own pets, but especially dogs, are more likely to have better heart health . "It's nice to see that something we enjoy, like having a dog, is related to better heart health," Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, study author and chair of the Division of Preventative Cardiology at Mayo Clinic, told ABC News in an interview.

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Context: Owning a pet may help maintain a healthy heart, especially if that pet is a dog, according to the first analysis of data from the Kardiozive Brno 2030study. The study examines the association of pet ownership — specifically dog ownership — with cardiovascular disease risk factors and cardiovascular health. The results are published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes.

The study first established baseline health and socio-economic information on more than 2,000 subjects in the city of Brno, Czech Republic, from January 2013 through Dec. 2014. Follow-up evaluations are scheduled for five-year intervals until 2030.

Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., chair of the Division of Preventive Cardiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, says that having a dog may prompt owners to go out, move around and play with their dog regularly. Owning a dog also has been linked to better mental health in other studies and less perception of social isolation — both risk factors for heart attacks. Dr. Lopez-Jimenez is a senior investigator of this study.

You can read more about the research on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Terri Malloy

Tags: ABC News, dogs and heart heatlh, Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, Uncategorized