Scientific article
Review
French

Bénéfices de la marche canine en réadaptation cardiovasculaire

Other titleBenefits of dog walking in cardiovascular rehabilitation
Published inRevue médicale suisse, vol. 22, no. 963, p. 939-944
Publication date2026-05-20
Abstract

Dog walking is emerging as a potential intervention in cardiovascular health. Meta-analyses and cohort studies suggest an association between dog walking and reduced cardiovascular mortality in patients with established diseases. Beyond physical activity, human-animal interactions favorably influence stress regulation, neuroendocrine balance, exercise motivation, and social connectedness. These synergistic mechanisms remain incompletely quantified, relying on observational associations. Dog walking represents a relevant, low-cost, and sustainable complement to conventional phase III cardiovascular rehabilitation strategies. This review synthesizes the available evidence and discusses its clinical implications in secondary prevention.

Keywords
  • Dogs
  • Humans
  • Animals
  • Walking / physiology
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation / methods
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / prevention & control
  • Secondary Prevention / methods
Citation (ISO format)
VULTAGGIO, Fabrice et al. Bénéfices de la marche canine en réadaptation cardiovasculaire. In: Revue médicale suisse, 2026, vol. 22, n° 963, p. 939–944. doi: 10.53738/REVMED.2026.22.963.48553
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
accessLevelRestrictedaccessLevelPublic 21/11/2027 CC BY-NC-ND-4.0
Identifiers
Journal ISSN1660-9379
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