Introducing Best Friend Fridays
Did you know your four-legged friend could help boost health and well-being?
Heart disease and stroke are the world’s top killers. Studies show that pets are good for your health. They can help you get more exercise, may lower blood pressure and cholesterol, cut stress and boost happiness[i].
We sniffed out the facts:
- Pet companionship may provide important social support and is a powerful predictor of behavior changes that can lead to weight loss[ii].
- It can also provide benefits in patients with cardiovascular disease[iii].
- Overall, pet parents tend to live longer than non-pet owners[iv].
- Dog parents are more likely to fit in the recommended level of physical activity than those who don’t have a dog[v].
It’s a win-wag combination for health and happiness. Happy Minds. Healthy Hearts.
A pet can be your heart’s best friend. That’s why the American Heart Association is launching Best Friend Fridays, a campaign to build healthier, happier lives one pet parent at a time.
Pet parents know that pets:
- Instinctively know when we need protection.
- Love unconditionally and want to be loved in return.
- Are always up for whatever we want to do.
- Can be your lifeline during the most difficult times you will ever have to face.
Let’s lick heart disease and stroke together at BestFriendFridays.heart.org.
[i] Glenn N. Levine, Karen Allen, Lynne T. Braun, Hayley E. Christian, Erika Friedmann, Kathryn A. Taubert, Sue Ann Thomas, Deborah L. Wells, and Richard A. Lange and on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology and Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. “Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Risk: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association,” Circulation 11 (Jun 2013) Link
[iv] Mwenya Mubanga, Liisa Byberg, Christoph Nowak, Agneta Egenvall, Patrik K. Magnusson, Erik Ingelsson, Tove Fall. “Article number: 15821 (2017) 10.1038_s41598-017-16118-6.ris,” Scientific Reports 7. Link
[v] Yu-Tzu Wu, Robert Luben, Andy Jones. “Dog ownership supports the maintenance of physical activity during poor weather in older English adults: cross-sectional results from the EPIC Norfolk cohort,”
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 71:9. Link
