Staying Healthy
Pets may help fend off cognitive decline in single seniors
- Reviewed by Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
If you live alone, having a furry, four-legged companion may help slow some measures of cognitive decline, new research suggests. The study focused on 7,900 people (average age 66) living in the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2019. Researchers tested the participants' verbal memory, verbal fluency, and verbal cognition (all key indicators of cognitive health) over time. They also compared the test results based on the participants' living situations. About 35% owned pets, and 27% lived alone. People who lived alone and had pets showed slower rates of decline on the test results compared with people who lived alone without any pets. In fact, pet owners who lived alone had results equivalent to those of people who lived with other people. Living with a dog or cat may help ease loneliness — an important risk factor for cognitive decline, the study authors say. The study was published in the December 2023 issue of JAMA Network Open.
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About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
About the Reviewer
Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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