Dog ownership may lead lower risk of death: study

Dog owners may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death, a new Swedish research said.

The study, published Friday in the journal Scientific Reports, found that for adults living alone, having a dog could reduce their risk of death by 33 percent and the risk of cardiovascular disease by 36 percent, compared to single individuals without a pet.

In addition, the group were 11 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack, it said.

"Dog ownership was especially prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone, which is a group reported previously to be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death than those living in a multi-person household," Mwenya Mubanga, the leading author of the study and a PhD student at the University of Uppsala said in a statement.

The study has analyzed 3.4 million Swedish people between the ages of 40 and 80 over the course of 12 years (2001-2012).

For multi-person household owners, having a dog also benefits them. Risk of death among these dog owners decreased by 11 percent and their chances of cardiovascular disease were 15 percent lower.

"We know that dog owners in general have a higher level of physical activity, which could be one explanation to the observed results," said Tove Fall, a senior author of the study and a professor at the university.

Cardiovascular disease, a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels, is the leading cause of death worldwide.