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Who says we have to suffer...to live a healthy happy vibrant life?

Red wine and dark chocolate... might seem decadent...but these guilty pleasures also might help us live longer...and healthier lives. Red wine and dark chocolate definitely improve an evening..but they also contain resveratrol..which lowers blood sugar. Red wine is a great source of catechins..which boost protective HDL cholesterol. Green tea? Protects your brain..helps you live longer..and soothes your spirit.

Food for Thought, the blog, is about living the good life...a life we create with our thoughts and our choices...and having fun the whole while!

I say lets make the thoughts good ones..and let the choices be healthy...exciting...and delicious! Bon Appetit!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Anger hurts your heart but laughter protects it.

If you are a hothead, your heart may be at risk. Several recent studies point to the link between anger and heart disease and dangerous heart events like heart attack. So think about this the next time you feel like raging at another driver or that slow person in front of you at the supermarket. Individuals who are prone to getting angry may have a higher risk for heart failure, researchers found. And in those who were hospitalized for heart failure, high anger levels were associated with a greater risk of getting readmitted.
The findings are consistent with previous studies that have evaluated the link between anger or hostility and the risks of stroke and coronary heart disease.
Last month a study found that among patients with cardiovascular disease, an angry personality profile was associated with a higher risk of MI.
That study found that anger drives heart attacks but laughter may protect you. When you are riled your blood vessels squeeze and blood flow is reduced, but a good belly laugh relaxes the arteries and enhances circulation.
And a recent meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that previously healthy people who were prone to anger and hostility had a greater risk for coronary heart disease events. In those who already had heart disease, anger was associated with a worse prognosis.
 Source reference:
Kucharska-Newton A, et al " Anger proneness increases risk of heart failure" HFSA 2011; Abstract 217.

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