Family Dogs Help Boost Kids’ Wellbeing

Quick Smiles:

• Family dogs can improve adolescent mental health by changing body microbes.
• Dog ownership shifts oral bacteria linked to social and emotional wellbeing.
• Teens with dogs show fewer social problems and more empathy.

Growing up with a family dog may do more than provide companionship—it can actually help support kids’ mental health through changes in their body’s microbes. Japanese researchers discovered that dogs influence the unique community of microorganisms, the microbiome, found in humans, and this change can boost emotional wellbeing in adolescents.

Professor Takefumi Kikusui and his team found that teens who had a dog at home from a young age scored higher on tests measuring companionship and social support. The study also showed that social problems were markedly lower in adolescents who lived with dogs.

“Adolescent children who keep dogs exhibit higher mental well-being, and we also found that dog ownership alters the gut microbiota,” said Professor Kikusui.

The team analyzed oral microbiome samples from teens with and without dogs. While the overall microbe diversity was similar, the composition differed, suggesting that petting paws can shift specific types of bacteria linked to psychological health.

To explore this further, researchers transferred microbiota from dog-owning teens to lab mice, who then displayed more friendly social behaviors. These results hint that certain microbes associated with empathy are more prevalent when young people grow up with dogs.

“The most interesting finding from this study is that bacteria promoting pro-sociality, or empathy, were discovered in the microbiomes of adolescent children who keep dogs,” explained Kikusui.

He believes that the benefits of living with dogs include both a sense of security and a positive impact on the body’s microbial communities. The research suggests that the strong bond between people and their pets has been supporting wellbeing for thousands of years.

Could this be another great reason to give a loving dog a forever home?

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