More than 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, with no fewer than 10 million new cases each year, according to figures published by the World Health Organization.

The global health authority refers to all diseases likely to affect memory or the ability to perform certain everyday tasks, and points out that while age is considered a risk factor, it is far from the only one: high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight or obese, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, depression, and social isolation are all thought to be associated with an increased risk of such cognitive decline.

Now, researchers at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, have investigated social isolation among older people, and more specifically the potential association between living with a pet and cognitive decline.

They used data from several waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, including 7,945 participants aged 50 and over, and analysed them between April 1 and June 30 last year.

Published in the medical journal Jama Network Open, their research suggests that adopting a cat, dog or other pet at an advanced age could prove beneficial in the fight against dementia.

In detail, their results show that pet ownership was associated with a slower decline in composite verbal cognition, particularly necessary for communicating, reading and writing; and also with a slower decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency.

It should be noted, however, that these results did not apply to all participants: “Pet ownership was associated with slower rates of decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency among older adults living alone, but not among those living with others, and pet ownership offset the associations between living alone and declining rates in verbal memory and verbal fluency.

“Further studies are needed to assess whether pet ownership slows the rate of cognitive decline in older adults living alone,” the authors concluded.

This isn’t the first time the benefits of pets have been highlighted by scientists: US researchers recently showed that dogs and cats could help seniors age better, precisely in the fight against cognitive decline. Meanwhile, several studies have reported the many advantages of living with a pet in promoting wellbeing, and reducing stress and anxiety levels.

All the more reason to find yourself a four-legged companion such as Nala!