No one can say if it’s the walks or the unconditional love, but there’s something about owning a dog that seems to go hand-in-hand with better heart health.

US researchers examined more than 1700 adults in the Czech Republic and found that dog owners tended to be younger, female and more likely to smoke than people with different pets or with no companion animals.

Yet the dog owners were also more active, had healthier levels of blood fat and blood sugar, and were less likely to be obese, giving them an overall better cardiovascular health profile than the rest.

“If you’re thinking about getting a pet, getting a dog will likely help you with your cardiovascular health goals. This should be a point that will help you make that decision,” said Dr Jose Medina-Inojosa of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the study’s senior author.