Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話 ニュースディスカッション教材
A Tokyo institute specializing in aging research has found that elderly people who own a dog have a significantly lower risk of dementia.
New research indicates that elderly people who own dogs have a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia compared to non-dog owners. The study was conducted by researchers at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology (TMIG). Their findings were first published on November 22 in an international scientific journal. According to TMIG, this marks the first instance where a clear connection between dog ownership and the onset of dementia has been established.
40% Lower Risk
The TMIG, an institute under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, conducted a comprehensive study from 2016 to 2020. It covered 11,194 men and women aged 65 or older in Tokyo. The data revealed that 5% of participants developed dementia. Dog owners experienced a remarkable 40% lower risk of dementia compared to non-dog owners.
Furthermore, the researchers observed that dog owners who adhered to regular exercise routines and maintained an active social life exhibited an even lower risk of developing dementia.
What About Cats?
Interestingly, the same couldn't be said about cats. There was no substantial difference in the incidence of dementia between cat owners and non-cat owners.
The dog ownership rate among the participants was 8.6%, while the cat ownership rate was 6.3%
犬を飼っている高齢者は、飼っていない人に比べて認知症の発症リスクが低いという研究結果を、東京都健康長寿医療センターのチーム１１月が２２日までに国際科学誌に発表した。ペット飼育と認知症との関連を明らかにしたのは初めてとしている。
調査は、東京都の６５歳以上の男女１万１１９４人を対象に、平成２８年から令和２年までのデータを分析。４年間で認知症を発症した人は５％で、犬を飼っている人は飼っていない人に比べ、認知症になるリスクが４０％低かった。
さらに犬を飼っている人のうち、運動習慣がある人や、社会的に孤立していない人の方が発症リスクが低い傾向にあることも分かった。猫の場合は飼育の有無で発症リスクに差はなかった。犬の飼育率は８・６％、猫の飼育率は６・３％だった。