“Our analysis found having a dog is actually protective against dying of any cause,” said Mount Sinai endocrinologist Dr. Caroline Kramer, lead author of a new systematic review of nearly 70 years of global research published Tuesday in “Circulation,” a journal of the American Heart Association.⁠ ⁠ The review of the health benefits of man’s best friend analyzed research involving nearly 4 million people in the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ “Dog ownership was associated with a 24% reduction in all-cause mortality,” said Kramer, an assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Toronto.⁠ The meta-analysis found an even bigger benefit for people who had already had a heart attack or stroke.⁠ ⁠ “For those people, having a dog was even more beneficial. They had a 31% reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease,” Kramer said.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #dog #biology #science #mortality #research #he...