Health
Cat owners could be at higher risk of schizophrenia, study suggests, but more research needed
Cuddling with a cat or kitten might seem therapeutic, but a new study suggests contact with these animals could have adverse mental health effects down the road.
Research published in Schizophrenia Bulletin found that people who are exposed to cats may have more than double the chances of developing schizophrenia and other similar mental disorders later in life.
Australian researchers from the University of Queensland conducted a systematic review of 17 studies performed in 11 countries between Jan. 1, 1980, and May 30, 2023.
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The study data was pulled from several databases, including Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science and other publications.
All the studies focused on participants who owned cats in their first 25 years of life and experienced schizophrenia-related outcomes, according to the researchers.
A new study suggests that being exposed to cats early in life could have adverse mental health effects down the road. (iStock)
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects a person’s thoughts, behaviors and feelings, as defined by the National Institute of Mental Health.
Psychotic symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders.
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Those with the disorder may also experience cognitive challenges, loss of motivation, withdrawal from social activities, difficulty showing emotions and an overall lack of functioning.
“Based on past studies, there is evidence linking cat ownership and an increased risk of subsequent schizophrenia,” study author Dr. John McGrath, a psychiatrist at Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, told Fox News Digital.
“We had an open mind, and we reported the published findings.”
Research published in Schizophrenia Bulletin found that people who own cats may have more than double the chance of developing schizophrenia and other similar mental disorders later in life. (iStock)
Previous research linking cat exposure to schizophrenia risk has focused on Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a parasite that can cause a feline disease called toxoplasmosis.
Separate studies have identified a “modest to large association” between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia.
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The study did have some limitations, McGrath acknowledged.
“While observational epidemiology cannot prove this link, this topic warrants further, more detailed research,” he said.
“I was disappointed that there were not more highly quality — i.e., more rigorous — studies in our review.”
“Schizophrenia is an incredibly complex disorder, and this study identifies one potential risk factor that needs to be understood in a broader context.”
Schizophrenia is a “poorly understood group of disorders,” McGrath noted.
“We need to invest in more research that looks at potential risk factors. There is much work to be done.”
‘No need to panic’
Dr. Zachary Ginder, a psychological consultant and doctor of clinical psychology at Pine Siskin Consulting, LLC in Riverside, California, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings.
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects a person’s thoughts, behaviors and feelings. Psychotic symptoms can include hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders. (iStock)
“It is important to keep a level head in consideration of these findings, and there is no need to panic if you own a cat and have children or are thinking about starting a family,” Ginder told Fox News Digital.
“Schizophrenia is an incredibly complex disorder, and this study identifies one potential risk factor that needs to be understood in a broader context. It would likely be premature to make strong recommendations about cat ownership solely based on these findings.”
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Although a relationship has been established between early-life cat exposure and schizophrenia, Ginder emphasized that this does not necessarily indicate that exposure causes the disorder.
“A lot more research” is needed to better understand these relationships — “accounting for a myriad of potential confounding factors and exploring underlying biological mechanisms,” said one psychological consultant and doctor of clinical psychology. (iStock)
“There is a lot that we still don’t know, and it is important to highlight that not all people who are exposed to cats or infected with the parasite develop mental health issues, and not all people with schizophrenia have had cat exposure,” he told Fox News Digital.
“While this parasite may play a role, it’s likely part of a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors.”
Ginder echoed the researchers’ comments that “a lot more research” is needed to better understand these relationships — “accounting for a myriad of potential confounding factors and exploring underlying biological mechanisms.”
“These findings just give us another piece of an incredibly complex puzzle.”
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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