The benefits of living in the company of an animal are no longer to be proven, and that is why one in two French households has at least one under their roof. According to a recent study conducted in the United States, their presence would allow us to fight against memory loss.
Our pets are sure to be wagging their tails when they learn that a recent study has highlighted one of their many magical powers! In addition to reducing our stress and our blood pressure, our favorite companions would have a role to play in the state of our cognitive functions, and more particularly, in that of our memory. the New York Post tells us more.
American scientists wanted to unravel the mystery
During the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, the Medical Center of the University of Michigan wished to present the results of one of its studies. This one was interested in the benefits of life with pets, and the impact it could have on our memory.
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To do this, 1,300 people aged around 65 were tested. 53% of them already had a pet, and a third of them had owned one for more than 5 years.
To conduct their experiments, the scientists first asked participants to memorize a list of 10 words and repeat it immediately, then 5 minutes later. Then they made them count backwards from 20 to 0, then from 100 to 0, subtracting 7 from each number, reported the DailyMail.
Results that speak volumes
At the end of the experiment, the scientists observed that people who had an animal for more than 5 years had better results than those who did not have an animal. A way for Dr. Tiffany Braleydirector of the study, to suggest that “ pet ownership protects us from cognitive decline “.
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Are we really surprised? Not really ! As reminded Dr Rosa Sanchohead of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in the United Kingdom, ” we humans love our animals, they are a fabulous source of companionship and comfort throughout our lives “.
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Does having one contribute to our longevity or reduce the risk of dementia? Experts cannot say with certainty, and are looking for ever more concrete causes. Thus, they continue to conduct their experiments before publishing the official results.
However, it is clear that their presence remains beneficial, and that we owe them a lot…
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By Maria Anki
Web editor
A great friend of animals from a very young age, Maria gives them a real devotion and follows them everywhere on social networks. Coming from a linguistic course, and therefore very keen on writing, she now takes pleasure in rubbing shoulders with the animal world accompanied by her most faithful four-legged companion, Monkey.