Laughter therapy has been called a cure for heart health

A new study has shown that laughter is good for heart health. A unique study found an improvement in the cardiovascular system, recorded in patients who were shown a television comedy.

The old adage that “laughter is the best medicine” may have a grain of truth when it comes to heart health. A new study has shown that laughter causes the tissues inside the heart to expand – and increases the flow of oxygen throughout the body.

The study found that patients with coronary heart disease who underwent laughter therapy had reduced inflammation and improved well-being.

“Our study showed that laughter therapy improves cardiovascular function,” said lead author Prof. Marco Saffi from the Porto Alegre Clinical Hospital in Brazil.

The results were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam, the world’s largest cardiology conference.

In the trial, scientists conducted a first-of-its-kind study to see if laughter therapy could improve symptoms in patients with heart disease. The study involved 26 adults with a mean age of 64, all diagnosed with coronary artery disease, caused by plaque buildup on the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

For three months, half of them were asked to watch two different hour-long comedy programs each week, including popular sitcoms. The other half watched two different serious documentaries on topics like politics or the Amazon rainforest.

At the end of the 12-week study period, the comedy group’s performance improved by 10% on a test that measures how much oxygen their heart can pump throughout their body. The group also improved on a second test that tested how well arteries could dilate.

The participants also took blood tests to measure several biomarkers of inflammation, which indicate how much plaque has accumulated in blood vessels and whether people are at risk for a heart attack or stroke. The results showed that these inflammatory markers were significantly reduced compared to the control group.

“When patients with coronary artery disease are admitted to the hospital, they have many inflammatory biomarkers,” said Saffy. “Inflammation is a huge part of the process of atherosclerosis, when plaque builds up in the arteries.

“This study has shown that laughter therapy is a good intervention that can help reduce this inflammation and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

“Laughter therapy could be implemented in health care settings and systems, such as the National Health Service, for patients at risk for heart problems,” the expert says. “It doesn’t have to be TV programs—people with heart disease can be invited to comedy nights or encouraged to have fun nights out with friends and family. People should try to do things that make them laugh at least twice a week.”

Professor Saffi suggested that in the future, laughter therapy could help reduce drug dependency. While scientists are still advancing research into why a good giggle can be good for the heart, they now have a solid understanding.

“Laughter helps the heart because it releases endorphins, which reduce inflammation and help the heart and blood vessels relax,” explains Marco Saffi. “It also lowers the levels of stress hormones that put stress on the heart. Laughter helps people feel happier in general, and we know that when people are happier, they adhere better to medication.”

Professor James Leiper, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, who was not involved in the study, comments: “While this study raises the interesting possibility that laughter may actually be a treatment for coronary heart disease, this small study needs to be repeated in order to better understand how laughter affects the cardiovascular system. therapy can help these patients. It’s encouraging to see that something so simple and widespread can benefit our health, but more research is needed to determine if laughter alone has led to the observed improvements and how long the effects may last.”