LAUGHTER MEDICINE

WHEN a good chuckle can boost your health. This week: Heart disease. LAUGHTER reduces arterial stiffness, an indicator of the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at the University of Athens.

They also found it resulted in a drop in the levels of stress hormones, including cortisol and epinephrine (which are known to cause blood vessels to constrict).

The researchers concluded that these findings ‘have important clinical implications’ as they suggest lifestyle changes, such as more laughter, could improve artery function.

Previous research suggested that laughter has an effect similar to exercise on the blood vessels, causing them to dilate, which improves blood flow and reduces blood pressure.

Other studies have found that people who laugh more readily and more frequently have a lower risk of heart disease and heart attacks.