A new study from Finland shows pet owners tend to be heavier, less active and in poorer health than people without a pet, which was released in PLoS ONE, an online journal published by the Public Library of Science.
Although a number of studies showed certain people can take advantage of a dog or cat to ease stress, loneliness and even dementia-related agitation in the elderly, researchers recently found pet owners were generally more likely to be overweight and to view their own health as poor.
The conclusion was drawn from survey data of more than 21,000 young to middle-aged Finnish adults.
Despite having dogs to take for walks, dog owners generally got little exercise.
The research also states that the fact that pet owners were in poorer health does not mean pets are bad for people but in fact when some special groups have been studied pets have proved to provide them with a vast potential for health promotion.
Pet owners, according to the researchers, may just need to make more of an effort — such as walking and playing with the dog instead of showing him the way to the yard.
Via : Chinaview