Laughter and Tea May Prevent Heart Disease

Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, lowering cholesterol and quitting smoking reduce certain risk factors. But did you know that drinking tea and laughing might also be beneficial?

Maryland Heart Center physicians are studying some of these preventive measures.

"Our research revolves around trying to attain a greater understanding as to how important those positive influences are in reducing heart attack event rates," stated Miller.

He says that two of the most protective factors against heart disease are high levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and also factors that may reduce stress, such as laughter.

In fact, a recent study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center found that laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect against a heart attack. The study, which was the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.