Owning a Dog Might Decrease Chances of Developing Crohn's Disease
This also seems to be the case for children who group up in large families
Hiya!
If you follow me on social media or have read my ramblings for a while, you probably know I have a dog named Albert. He’s a Lhasa apso with many opinions who likes to dictate our walks, despite going blind and bumping into every bush and curb along the way. Albert is family and for the last nine years, he’s been a constant in my life—throughout career changes, moving, and relationships.
We’ve known for a long time that owning a dog offers an array of perks, like aiding mental health, including lowering stress and anxiety. But now, researchers discovered yet another health benefit of owning a dog — improved gut health, specifically a decreased chance of developing Crohn’s Disease, especially in children.
What is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s Disease is when someone suffers chronic inflammation in their gastrointestinal (GI) tract, impacting any part from their mouth to their anus. Symptoms vary from person to person but include unpleasant problems with digestion, such as abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and diarrhea, which can sometimes lead to more serious complications.
Crohn’s Disease is a tricky and life-altering disease that affects an estimated 3 million Americans. While it can occur at any age, Crohn’s Disease is most commonly diagnosed when a person is between 20 and 30 years old. While there are some genetic components, it’s impossible to predict who may develop it based on family history. While Crohn’s Disease is more common in Caucasians, people of all ethnic backgrounds can develop it.
Like its symptoms, treatment of Crohn’s Disease varies as each person’s situation is unique to them, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Unfortunately, there’s no cure yet for Crohn’s Disease, though a combination of medication, proper nutrition, or surgeries can allow people with Crohn’s Disease to live full lives.
The Research
Technically, this discovery is jumping the gun a smidge because the study isn’t due to be published by Gastroenterology, a journal published by the American Gastroenterological Association, until later this year. But the lead author and research associate, Williams Turpin, spoke of the findings at the Digestive Disease Week conference in San Diego covered by Inverse.
The researchers wanted to understand Chron’s Disease a little better. Specifically, they wanted to study the relationship between developing the disease and our environments, including family size and pets.
So, using a questionnaire, the researchers surveyed over 4,000 participants, ranging from less than a year to 15 years old, who were relatives of people diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease to identify as many environmental factors as possible. Then the researchers followed up five years later to learn almost 90 of the participants had developed the disease.
When reviewing the possible environmental factors listed on the surveys, the researchers found a common denominator — living with dogs.
Turpin and his team reportedly found that young children, age four or younger, who live with a dog were “less likely to develop Crohn’s disease later in life.” Children under the age of one year old who lived in a large family, regardless of whether they had a dog, also showed a decrease in odds of developing Crohn’s Disease.
How the Heck?
So, the connection between growing up with a dog in the home and a decreased chance of developing Crohn’s Disease was made. But how or why does it happen?
The short of it is, somehow, spending time around dogs in childhood and growing up in a larger family changes our gut microbiome throughout our life. If you don’t know, our gut microbiome is made of all the good and bad viruses and bacteria that live in our digestive tract — and are commonly referred to as our second brain (more about that on Monday). Most of them help us, but some can be linked to various diseases, including Crohn’s Disease and Type 2 diabetes.
At first, researchers thought perhaps living with a dog produced a difference in gut inflammation markers, but none were found. In fact, they didn’t find anything until they analyzed the leakiness of the gut. When issues affect the barrier lining the gut, it can result in inflammation and changes in the microbiome.
This is when Turpin and his team found that children who lived with dogs developed better protection of their gut lining, which could reduce the likelihood of developing Crohn’s Disease. Unfortunately, the researchers concluded that cats don’t appear to provide the same protection.
In the Inverse article, Turpin suggests,
“It could potentially be because dog owners get outside more often with their pets or live in areas with more green space, which has been shown previously to protect against Crohn’s.”
Perspective Shift
It’s still early. As I mentioned, the official study hasn’t been published yet, and more research is definitely needed. Right now, the connection between owning a dog and developing Crohn’s Disease could use additional support. Still, the initial findings are intriguing. I mean, it would be fantastic if Albert keeps me healthier than I realized.
Do you think this unique relationship between owning dogs and improved gut and mental health has anything to do with the thousands of years of bonding between dogs and humans? Perhaps this is a way that we’ve adapted to living together, kinda like how Homo sapiens developed more robust immune systems from cohabitating with Neanderthals, while Neanderthals didn’t. Well, regardless, owning a dog would be a pretty excellent and easy way to help us prevent diseases… if it has as big of an impact as Turpin seems to believe.
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Interesting. My sister and I both have Crohn's and although we grew up with a dog, we didn't get one until we were over 8 years old. Both of us did visit developing countries shortly before developing the disease and got stomach bugs while we were away--I've always wondered if that was a contributor.