Growing up With a Dog Is Good for Your Gut, New Study Finds

It’s no secret that dogs are good for our health; studies have found that people with pups in their lives get more regular exercise, have lower blood pressure, are better at facing stress, are less likely to have chronic health conditions, and even have fewer allergies. Now, scientists have discovered an unexpected physical benefit of spending time with pups: People who have early exposure to dogs are less likely to develop Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that is becoming more and more common worldwide.

The findings

Researchers at Sinai Health studied 4,289 first-degree relatives of patients with Crohn’s disease. They found that living with a dog between the ages of 5 to 15 was associated with a decreased risk of developing Crohn’s disease. People raised with pets also had greater gut microbial diversity.

“We don’t know why living with a dog makes someone less prone to Crohn’s disease, but this is what our data shows,” said Dr. Kenneth Croitoru, a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, in a release. “We have established associations between environmental factors and Crohn’s and are now trying to understand how these environmental factors affect the triggering the disease.”

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Why it matters

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, which can lead to a variety of chronic symptoms including pain, malnutrition, and fatigue. It can sometimes lead to complications such as kidney stones, anemia, and inflammation of the liver. Approximately 6 to 8 million people live with Crohn’s disease globally, and numbers are rising around the world. There’s currently no known cure.

While some environmental factors have been shown to contribute to Crohn’s disease, scientists still don’t know exactly what causes the disease. There is a strong genetic component to Crohn’s disease, but environmental factors contribute, too. This study is one step to figuring out what causes Crohn’s disease and how the disease can be prevented. “By understanding what is different about those who develop the disease, we should be able to predict who is at risk,” Dr. Croitoru said.

The research team plans to conduct further studies to find out how to prevent the disease. “By integrating genetic, environmental, and microbial data, Dr. Croitoru and colleagues are paving the way towards personalized intervention strategies that could significantly reduce the incidence of Crohn’s disease," said Dr. Anne-Claude Gingras, Vice-President of Research for Sinai Health.

References

• Environmental Factors Associated With Risk of Crohn's Disease Development in the Crohn's and Colitis Canada - Genetic, Environmental, Microbial Project

• Crohn’s disease: a clinical update

• Mayo Clinic: Crohn’s disease