Love
Is Good for the Heart
Excerpt
By
Richard
Woodman, Reuters Health
LONDON (Reuters Health) - Cardiologists issued their own special
Valentine's day message this week--love is good for the heart.
As romantics sent cards and red roses, the World Heart Federation
said: "Valentine's Day lovers have another reason to celebrate today
as findings show that being in love and being loved helps to keep
us healthy and is particularly good for our hearts."
The federation, a Geneva-based non-governmental organisation
dedicated to preventing heart disease, said that love also reduces
stress, depression and anxiety, three major risk factors for heart
disease.
"One out of three deaths across the world are now due to heart
disease and stroke, six times more than HIV/AIDS related deaths,"
said Professor Philip Poole-Wilson, a cardiologist at Imperial
College, London, and president-elect of the federation.
"This is why we are stressing the importance of adopting a healthy
lifestyle and on Valentine's Day the positive impact that love
can make in keeping your heart healthy."
The federation said that many published studies show that psychological
risk factors as well as physical ones are involved in heart disease.
In one five-year study, 10,000 men at high risk of developing
angina (heart disease-related chest pain) were asked, "Does your
wife show you her love"? Those who said "Yes" had half the risk
of getting angina.
Another study had followed 1,400 men and women with coronary
artery disease. After five years, 15% of those who were married
or had a confidant were dead compared with 50% of those who were
unmarried and had no confidant.
The federation consists of 166 member societies of cardiology
and heart foundations from 97 countries.
Reference Source 89
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