Pets Help to Protect Your Brain as You Get Older, Study Suggests

It is good for your brain to know what is good for your heart.

A recent study of US adults over 50 found that people who owned a pet for more than five years scored better on memory tests than people who didn't.

According to the University of Michigan, the'pet effect' can protect more than just the health of our guts and hearts.

More than 20,000 people over the age of 50 were asked about their pet status in a national survey from 2010 to 2016

Researchers used the findings years later to show that people who tick the pet box had different cognitive scores over the course of six years.

The effect was only visible in participants over the age of 65.

Researchers found that if a person in that age group had owned a pet for over five years, their short-term and long-term memory for words was better than those who did not.

The pet cohort showed better scores as they got older.

There is no evidence that the pet effect actually exists. It's possible that people with better cognitive function are more likely to keep their pets.

Recent studies show that having a pet is good for you. There are many theories as to why that is.

Pet owners are forced to get up and move more, and daily movement is tied to brain health, if they have a dog.

Our gut health could be improved because animals bring newbacteria into the house. Scientists have come to realize that the gut-brain connection is much more important than they thought.

Pets may make us happy. Studies show that a presence of an animal in our lives can relieve loneliness.

That may be more important in old age. Isolation can change the structure and function of our brains.

There is a chance that all of these theories are correct.

There are a number of risk factors for dementia.

Having a pet can help protect against cognitive decline all at the same time.

While most studies on pet ownership focus on how dogs or cats affect our emotions and physical health, far fewer studies look at how pets affect our ability to think.

The studies turned out to be null. There is a lag in how long it takes a pet to impact our brains, and most previous studies have used short interactions with unknown dogs to test the effect.

Loneliness isn't conquered in a day. A single petting session isn't friendship.

Every aspect of our lives can be impacted by animals, and people shape their days around them.

Even if they aren't a fellow human, having someone to talk to throughout the day could be beneficial to our mental health.

Pets could be helping keep us young and fit.

The study was published in a journal.