雅思阅读练习：养狗有利于身体健康

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　　Dog-owners 'lead healthier lives'

　　If you want to live a healthier life get a dog,research suggests.

　　Dogs can provide companionship

　　The companionship offered by many pets isthought to be good for you, but the benefits of owning a dog outstrip those of cat owners,the study says.

　　A psychologist from Queen's University, Belfast, said dog owners tended to have lowerblood pressure and cholesterol.

　　Writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology, she says that regular "walkies" maypartly explain the difference.

　　Dr Deborah Wells reviewed dozens of earlier research papers which looked at the healthbenefits of pet ownership.

　　In some cases, the social support offered by an animal is greater than the supportthan another human could offer.

　　Dr June McNicholas, Health psychologist

　　She confirmed that pet owners tended in general to be healthier than the average memberof the population.

　　However, her research suggested that dog ownership produced more positive influencethan cat ownership.

　　As well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol, she said dog-owners suffered fewerminor ailments and serious medical problems.

　　There was also the suggestion that dogs could aid recovery from serious illnesses such asheart attacks, and act as 'early warning' to detect an approaching epileptic seizure.

　　Stress-busting

　　Dr Wells said the precise reason for the benefits was not totally clear.

　　"It is possible that dogs can directly promote our well-being by buffering us from stress,one of the major risk factors associated with ill-health.

　　"The ownership of a dog can also lead to increases in physical activity and facilitate thedevelopment of social contacts, which may enhance both physiological and psychologicalhuman health in a more indirect manner."

　　Dr June McNicholas, a health psychologist who has specialised on research into the healtheffects of pet ownership said that an important reason for the improved health of dog-ownerswas not just the exercise received while taking it for walks, but the opportunity for socialcontact with other dog-owners.

　　She said: "For older people, an animal can fulfil the 'need to be needed', perhaps afterchildren have left home.

　　"In some cases, the social support offered by an animal is greater than the supportanother human could offer."

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