We have all heard that laughter is
good for the heart and recently there have been studies that dark
chocolate is good for you. These two facts have been confirmed
again.
more than 300 measurements were made with a 30-50% difference in
blood vessel diameter between the laughter (blood vessel expansion)
and mental stress (blood vessel constriction) phases. “The magnitude
of change we saw in the endothelium after laughing was consistent
and similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic exercise or
statin use” “The endothelium is the first line in the development of
atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so it is very possible
that laughing on a regular basis may be useful to incorporate as
part of an overall healthy lifestyle to prevent heart disease
the second team of researchers, from the University of Cambridge,
may add chocolate to that list, as well. Of course, we’ve long known
that dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants and boasts numerous
health benefits, including the ability to help lower blood pressure
and even cause a significant increase in insulin sensitivity. But
these researchers have an added perk to throw on the laundry list of
health benefits -- after conducting a large-scale review on recent
evidence (the results were published in the British Medical
Journal), these scientists found that regular chocolate consumption
(they didn’t differentiate between dark or milk) can slash
cardiovascular risk by a third.
That proves it, if you want a healthy heart, start with a good
hardy laugh and have chocolate for desert.