Part 2
By Bernard Freeman
Pets contribute to healthy lifestyles
Dogs earn their moniker of “best friend” in a lot of ways, including helping their owners have healthier hearts.
The American Heart Association says that owning a pet, especially dogs, contributes to better heart health. In a scientific report published in 2013, scientists explored the effects that pet ownership, primarily dogs or cats, had on cardiovascular disease. The beneficial effects included “increased physical activity, favorable lipid profiles, lower systemic blood pressure, improved autonomic tone, diminished sympathetic responses to stress and improved survival after an acute coronary syndrome.
Greater activity
Many people who have pets are more active because they have to walk the animal and move more to take care of it. One study revealed that people who walk dogs get up to 30 minutes more exercise a day than non-walkers. That’s exercise that contributes directly to a healthy heart.
The AHA recommends engaging in healthy activities with your pet including cooling off in sprinklers, swimming with your dog in a lake, walking and running together, playing at a dog park, spending 10 to 15 minutes a day playing catch or fetch and walking home with kids and dogs after school.
Cuddle time
Did you know that even cuddling your dog or cat can make your heart healthier? A Japanese study found that pet owners had a 300% increase in the release of oxytocin just by staring in their pets’ eyes. And the dogs experienced a 130% rise.
Why is this good? Oxytocin affects the free radical and inflammation levels of the heart, two culprits that cause heart attacks. When there is too much inflammation, it leads to a buildup of arterial plaque that causes heart attacks. So when you cuddle with your pet, you release the hormone that helps fight heart disease.
Stress response
Other studies have shown that people respond better to stress when they live with a companion animal.
In one study, people who had pets had a significantly lower resting baseline heart rate and blood pressure. When stress was applied, they had significantly smaller increases in heart rate and blood pressure and recovered to normal after the stress more quickly.
The fastest recovery and lowest reaction took place in people when their pet was present.
Social support
In addition to the physical benefits, pets provide emotional and social support that contribute to healthier hearts. The American Heart Association found that pet ownership was a powerful predictor of maintaining behavior change.
In other words, pets help encourage good behavior and make people more motivated to engage in healthy habits. They can reduce the anxiety and depression which create barriers to healthy behaviors.
While there are many factors that go into adopting a pet and one shouldn’t do it just to have a healthy heart, pets can make your life better and longer.
Sensible & healthy eating
It seems that everywhere you turn there is a different diet touted as being the solution to obesity and healthier living. Some people recommend low-carb diets; others suggest low-fat diets. Then there are countless fad diets of dubious value.
How do you sort through all the recommendations? The U.S. News & World Report in 2021 ranked 39 diets in several categories. Tied for first in the categories of heart-healthy benefits and best diets for healthy eating was the DASH diet developed by researchers from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The diet also came in second for “best diet overall.”
It isn’t a new diet. Developed more than 20 years ago, it’s undergone rigorous study and research. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
Repeated testing of the diet has found that it helps to reduce blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, which are two risk factors for heart disease. Adults on the DASH diet are able to lower their blood pressure within weeks. If the dieters also reduce their sodium intake, they have even greater reductions in blood pressure.
What you do and do not eat
In the DASH diet, the goal is to build nutrient-dense meals made up of whole grains, low-fat dairy products, vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and healthy oils. It limits the intake of fatty meats, full-fat dairy, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets and sodium.
The diet is based on 2,000 calories a day. Daily portions include:
- Grains, 6-8 servings.
- Meats, poultry, and fish, 6 or less.
- Vegetables, 4-5 servings.
- Fruit, 4-5 servings.
- Low-fat or fat free dairy products, 2-3 servings.
- Fats and oils, 2-3 servings.
- Sodium, 2,300 mg.
It recommends limiting servings of nuts, seeds, dry beans and peas to four to five servings a week and sweets to 5 or less a week.
Serving sizes
The diet is designed to include food that is commonly found in grocery stores so that it is easy to follow. How much a person should eat depends on their age, gender and activity level. The more active you are, the more calories you need to consume. The older you are, the fewer calories you need. Generally speaking, men need more calories than women.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has charts on their website that show how many servings each person should have based on how many calories they consume per day.
Staying on the diet
Everyone has days where they slip up or “cheat.” The NIH offers several hints for how to stay on track with the DASH diet:
- Examine what caused you to get off track.
- Take a long-term view, don’t worry about a minor slip-up.
- Don’t try to change too much at a time.
- Take baby steps. Break anything complex into simple, easy-to-follow steps.
- Write it down. Use a worksheet to track what you eat and drink.
- Celebrate success — but not with food.
