Good health

New research shows that a happy heart is also a healthy heart.

Recently, Dr. Andrew Steptoe of the University of London conducted a survey of nearly 3,000 healthy British people and found that people with good moods had lower cortisol rates. This is a type of stress hormone. When it is created regularly will lead to high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, weakened immune function and other problems.

The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. In it, more optimistic women have a lower rate of two proteins that appear when there is widespread agitation in the body. The state of constant agitation is also considered to be the cause of a range of diseases including heart disease and cancer.

Researchers have long discovered that happier people have better health than those who suffer from stress, pessimism, and prolonged discomfort. But the cause is still being clarified.

Smile of the night of the Copenhagen festival on New Year's Eve in Johannesburg (Photo: Reuters)

Steptoe explained, the possibility that happier people have a healthier lifestyle, but not all research supports this idea. Replying to Reuters Health, he said: ' We have sought more direct biological relationships between mental state and health '.

Existing results provide additional evidence of happiness and other positive emotions 'related to healthy biological reactions'.

With 2,873 men and women at ages 50 to 74 participating, they will be given saliva samples 6 times a day for the researchers to determine the cortisol ratio. After sampling saliva, participants will record their current mood: 'happy, nervous or satisfied'.

The team will test the ratio of C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 on another day - these are the two proteins that signal the excitement in the body .

Better mood men and women have a higher average cortisol rate throughout the day despite taking into account age, weight, smoking habits and income issues. For women, positive emotions also lead to lower rates of C and interleukin 6 protein reactions. The difference between the sexes is still unknown.

Steptoe said: 'This finding suggests that there exists a biological process that binds the happy mood with reduced biological damage.' But if happier people are healthier, then there will be a more difficult question: How can we become healthier than before?

Steptoe emphasized: 'We still know that people's emotional state is not only a genetic problem but also depends on our social relationships and success in life. We need to help people realize what makes them feel more comfortable and truly satisfied with their lives. From there they will spend more time caring about those things. '