Study finds owning a pet leads to longevity

Pet owners and animal lovers alike will be happy to know that pets can add years to your life!

A study which has just been published by the University of California entitled ‘The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life’ found that pet ownership was one factor likely to increase overall life expectancy. The 90-year study followed the lives of more than 1,528 children who were about ten years old when first examined in 1921. Another study, which appeared in Public Health Reports in 1980, indicated that the survival rates of heart-attack victims who had a pet were 28 per cent higher than those of patients who didn’t. Other research suggests that interaction with pets reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. So carry on lavishing your pets with all the affection they deserve and you just might live longer too!