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COLLECTIVE
WIZDOM.COM
Real People (Sometimes Real
Names) Share Real Health
and Life Stories
WIZDOM.COM
Real People (Sometimes Real
Names) Share Real Health
and Life Stories
STROKE NEWS
Owning a Cat Reduces Risk of Stroke
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Snoring Raises Risk of Stroke
By Sara Ott, Associate Editor and Featured Columnist
March 20, 2008
How much is that kitty in the window? Maybe priceless, if you want to
avoid having a stroke. According to a new study released this week by
scientists at the University of Minnesota, people who stroke a purring
car have a 40% reduced risk of suffering a stroke or heart disease.
Exactly how those little furry balls of mischief cut your risk of stroke
and heart disease is unclear but reserarchers poit out that owning a
cathelps to reduce stress and anxiety, which in turn help protect
against cardiovascular problems by lowering blood pressure and
reducing the heart rate.
"The logical explanation may be
that cat ownership relieves stress
and anxiety and subsequently reduces
the risk of heart disease," 'The Daily
Telegraph' quoted lead author
Prof Adnan Qureshi of the Minnesota
University as saying.
The research suggests that one reason
could be that stroking the pet could cut
the level of stress-related hormones
in the blood.
The team came to the conclusion after
analysing a data of 4,435 adults, aged
between 30 and 75, about half of whom
owned a cat. Subsequently, the team
tracked rates of death from all causes,
including heart and stroke.
The cat owners "appeared to have a
lower rate of dying from heart attacks"
over 10 years of follow-up compared to
feline-free folk, Prof Qureshi said,
adding the magnitude of the effect --
a 30 per cent reduction in heart attack risk -- "was a little bit
surprising".
Cat owners were still found to have a much reduced chance of
developing strokes or heart attacks even after the team took into
account factors known to trigger heart disease, including high
cholesterol levels, smoking and diabetes, into consideration.
"We certainly expected an effect, because we thought that there was
a biologically plausible mechanism at work. But the magnitude of the
effect was hard to predict," Prof Qureshi said.
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Snoring Increases Risk of Stroke, Heart Disease
Create a Free Pet Blog--Honor Your Pet's Soul Today
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Stoke --Signs of a Stroke
Snoring Increases Risk of Stroke, Heart Disease
Create a Free Pet Blog--Honor Your Pet's Soul Today
Can't Sleep-Here's Help
Stoke --Signs of a Stroke
