Happiness can make you healthier!
Natural antidepressant hormones in your brain also help protect tissues throughout your body, cutting your risk of everything from heart disease and Type 2 diabetes to tummy woes and obesity! You can boost your levels of those healing hormones by:
Revving serotonin with supplements
Taking a combination of krill oil and astaxanthin (made from red algae) raises levels of the “feel-good” hormone serotonin, say Ohio State University researchers. One option: Life Extension’s Super Omega- 3 Plus ($30 for 120 softgels, Lef.com/ww). ■ Your good-health bonus: A 50% lower risk of indigestion and other belly woes. Serotonin calms the nerves and muscles that control your digestive tract, according to Mayo Clinic researchers.
Optimizing oxytocin with nuts
This feel-good hormone is released when you cuddle with a loved one, says Scott Haltzman, M.D., author of The Secrets of Happy Families. Another way to elevate it? Snack on 1/2 cup of nuts. Their healthy fats and minerals prod your brain to release up to 25% more oxytocin. ■ Your good-health bonus: A 40% lower risk of high blood pressure, due to its artery-relaxing powers, say Brown University researchers.
Elevating endorphins with avocado
Eating three avocados weekly can help you feel more upbeat and optimistic in as little as one month, research in the journal Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine suggests. Avocados are rich in carotenoids and oleic acid, nutrients that encourage your brain to produce more endorphins, the chemicals responsible for the feeling known as “runner’s high,” explains study coauthor Kamariah Long, PH.D. ■ Your good-health bonus: Increasing your brain’s endorphin production improves your memory, British scientists say.
Koing cortisol with seafood
Eating one 6-oz. serving weekly cuts your risk of blue moods 24%! DHA, an essential fat in seafood, reduces your output of the stress hormone cortisol, Finnish research shows. ■ Your good-health bonus: A 33% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Your insulin-producing pancreas works better when cortisol is low.
Upping dopamine with a curfew
Heading to bed by 11 p.m.—instead of turning in closer to midnight— cuts your risk of blue moods and anxiety 80%! Brazilian researchers explain that the hour before midnight is prime time for your brain to restock its stores of dopamine, an antidepressant hormone that helps you stay upbeat and calm, even on hectic days. ■ Your good-health bonus: A trimmer you! Dopamine cuts food cravings, tripling your ability to keep your weight in check, say Cornell University experts.