Researchers claim that animal owners are less likely to develop non-Hodgekin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system that affects around 9000 Britons an year. This is mainly due to the boosted immune system made effective by pets, which was discovered in a study conducted by scientists at University of California, SF and Stanford University also in San Francisco. Previous studies have proved that children with pets have taken fewer days off and toddlers who grew up around cats and dogs are less likely to suffer allergies or asthma. The lymphatic system is mainly affected in non-Hodgekin's lymphoma or NHL, where a network of vessels and glands that transports infection fighting blood cells round the body.

For the sake of statistics, the number of people affected by this disease is steadily rising at 4% for the last 50 years, which might make NHL as common as breast cancer or lung cancer. The results of certain tests conducted showed that pet owners are 30 per cent less likely to have cancer than those who never kept pets. Researchers are still working on the exact cause of NHL and its contributing factors, which is a large-scale study that will manifest results with time.

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