Owning a pet may help slow cognitive decline among older people who live alone, according to a study published this week.
A large cohort study of adults ages 50 and older living in the United Kingdom showed pet owners had less verbal memory and verbal fluency declines compared to people who lived alone without a pet. The findings from researchers at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, were published in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association.
The study, which doesn’t prove pet ownership causes the slower declines but rather is associated with them, builds on existing evidence that preventing isolation, loneliness and stress can reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias, said Dr. Thomas Wisnieski, director of NYU Langone Health’s Division of Cognitive Neurology, in New York. There is currently no known cure for dementia.
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“Generally, many studies have shown that being isolated is bad for one’s cognition and increases the probability for developing dementia,” said Wisnieski, who was not involved with the study.
The elderly population of the United Kingdom, like the U.S., is expected to grow and life expectancy is set to increase, posing concerns about public health demands as their cognitive functions decline. Already, more than one in 10 Americans ages 65 and older have Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, according to the nonprofit Alzheimer’s Association. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 6 million people have Alzheimer’s, and the number is expected to increase to 14 million by 2060.
The study used data from waves of 7,945 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing from 2010-11 to 2018-19, with an average age of 66 years old. Participants, about 56% of whom were women, were tested each year in composite verbal cognition, verbal memory and verbal fluency, and living alone significantly affected all cognitive functions studied. Roughly 35% owned pets and just under 27% lived alone in a household.
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The aging study tested participants for verbal memory on immediate and delayed recall of 10 unrelated words; researchers evaluated verbal fluency by requiring participants to list as many animal names as possible within one minute. Results showed slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency for people with pets who lived alone compared to those just alone, without a pet.
The researchers said more studies are needed to further flesh out the findings.
Authors noted limits in the study because it only tested two aspects of cognitive function. The study was also only observational, which doesn’t prove cause. Additionally, nearly all of the participants were white, so the findings can’t be generalized to other racial or ethnic groups. Black people are twice as likely to develop dementia compared to white people.
Wisnieski, of NYU Langone, said more research is needed on different types of populations and over longer periods. Another limit is the study’s average age of participants of 66 is on the younger side to start exhibiting cognitive declines, he added. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s, for example, can first appear after age 60, with risks increasing within age, the CDC said.
There may be other reasons for the slowing declines than just owning a pet. Having a pet often requires exercise or having to interact with other pet owners, Wisnieski said.
Many environmental factors related to cognitive decline are preventable. This can include with lifestyle changes such as physical exercise, diet and reducing social isolation to help maintain cognitive function.
Eduardo Cuevas covers health and breaking news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected].
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
