NIH Health News
Nothing can match the joy of coming home to a faithful companion. Unconditional love for your pet means more than just being with you. Pets may reduce stress, improve heart health, and even help children with emotional and social skills.
An estimated 68% of U.S. households own a pet. But who can benefit from animals? And what types of pets offer health benefits?
Over the past decade, the NIH has partnered with Mars Corporation's Waltham Pet Nutrition Center to answer questions like these by funding research studies.
Scientists are studying what the potential physical and mental health benefits are for a variety of animals, from fish to guinea pigs to dogs and cats.
Potential health effects
Research on human-animal interactions is still relatively new. Some studies have shown positive health effects, but results are mixed.
Interacting with animals has been shown to lower levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce feelings of loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost mood.
The NIH/Mars Partnership funds a variety of research focused on our relationship with animals. For example, researchers study how animals influence children's development. They study animal interactions with children with autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other disorders.
“There is no one answer to how pets can help people with specific conditions,” said Dr. Leila Esposito, who directs the NIH's Human-Animal Interaction Research Program. “Is your goal to increase physical activity? Then you may benefit from owning a dog. Having to walk your dog several times a day increases your physical activity.” If your goal is to reduce stress, watching fish swim can be calming. So there is no one-size-fits-all type.”
The NIH is funding a large-scale study to examine the variety of pets people live with and how their relationships with them relate to health.
“We're trying to tap into some of the subjective nature of relationships with animals, the bond people feel with animals, and how that translates into health benefits. “We're researching it,” explained Dr. James Griffin, Director of Child Development. NIH expert.
animals that help people
Animals serve as a source of comfort and support. Therapy dogs are especially good at this. They are sometimes brought into hospitals and nursing homes to reduce stress and anxiety for patients.
“Dogs are very present. If someone is struggling with something, they know how to sit there and show affection,” says Anne, a physician and researcher at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Berger said. “Their attention is always focused on that person.”
Mr. Berger works with people living with cancer and terminal illnesses. She teaches children about mindfulness, which helps reduce stress and manage pain.
“The fundamentals of mindfulness include attention, intention, compassion, and awareness,” Berger says. “Those are all things that animals bring to the table. People have to learn that. Animals are born to do it.”
Researchers are studying the safety of bringing animals into hospitals because animals can expose people to more germs. Current research is examining the safety of bringing dogs to visit children with cancer, Esposito said. Scientists plan to test the children's hands after the visit to see if there are dangerous levels of bacteria transferred from the dog.
Dogs may also be able to help in the classroom. One study found that dogs can help children with ADHD focus their attention. Researchers enrolled two groups of children diagnosed with ADHD and had them participate in 12 weeks of group therapy sessions. The children in the first group had her read to their therapy dog for 30 minutes once a week. The second group read to a dog-like doll.
Children who read to real animals improved their social skills and were more likely to share, collaborate, and volunteer. They also had fewer behavioral problems.
Another study found that children with autism spectrum disorder were calmer when playing with guinea pigs in the classroom. When children spent 10 minutes of supervised group play time with her guinea pigs, anxiety levels decreased. Children also had better social interactions and were more engaged with their peers. Researchers suggest that the animals' unconditional acceptance may have provided some gentle comfort to the children.
“Animals can be a way to bridge social interactions,” Griffin said. Researchers are trying to better understand these effects and who they might help, he added.
Animals may help you in unexpected ways. A recent study showed that caring for fish can help teens with diabetes better manage their disease. Researchers had a group of teenagers with type 1 diabetes care for a pet fish by feeding it and checking its water level twice a day. The care routine also included changing the water in the tank weekly. This was combined with children reviewing their blood sugar records with their parents.
Researchers tracked how consistently these teens checked their blood sugar levels. Compared to teens who weren't given fish to care for, teens who had fish were more disciplined about checking their blood sugar levels, which is essential to staying healthy.
Pets can provide a variety of health benefits, but animals may not work for everyone. Recent research suggests that early exposure to pets may help protect young children from developing allergies and asthma. However, for people who are allergic to certain animals, having a pet in the house can do more harm than good.
help each other
Pets also come with new responsibilities. Knowing how to care for and feed animals is part of owning a pet. NIH/Mars funds research investigating the effects of human-animal interactions on both pets and humans.
Remember that animals can also feel stressed and fatigued. It's important for children to recognize signs of stress in pets and know when not to approach. Animal bites can cause serious harm.
“Preventing dog bites is definitely an issue that parents should consider, especially with young children who don't always know the boundaries of what's appropriate with dogs. Yes,” Esposito said.
Researchers plan to continue investigating the various health effects of pet ownership.
“We're trying to figure out what works, what doesn't, and what's safe for both humans and animals,” Esposito said.
