Health
Adding laughter to your life can boost health and healing, experts say
Wonder why you feel better after a good laugh?
There’s reliable evidence that laughter improves various aspects of mental, emotional and physical health.
If you’re experiencing stress, pain or challenges to your immune system, finding ways to incorporate laughter into your daily life could be an effective remedy.
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Health experts say humor and giggles can be good medicine — and that’s no joke.
Why laughter matters
Simple and actionable steps to add more smiles to your life can make a difference.
“People often overlook the benefits of laughter,” said one doctor. “Research shows that laughter can reduce stress, boost the immune system and even help alleviate pain.” (iStock)
“When considering lifestyle changes to improve health, people often overlook the benefits of laughter,” Michael Richardson, M.D., a family physician with Carbon Health in Boston, told Fox News Digital.
“Research shows that laughter can reduce stress, boost the immune system and even help alleviate pain.”
As a primary care doctor, Richardson encourages patients to prioritize joy in their lives; he said laughter is an excellent way to do so.
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“Just as you may set aside time each week for exercise, it may be worth scheduling moments of laughter in your daily or weekly routine,” the doctor said.
“Making this a regular habit could have a protective effect on overall health.”
How does laughter positively impact the body?
The body is receptive to laughter — here’s how it works.
There are two parts of the nervous system — the sympathetic and the parasympathetic, said Beth Oller, M.D., a family physician with Rooks County Health Center in Stockton, Kansas.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for fight-or-flight responses, “which are activated all too often in many of us, with all the things to worry about in our world today.”
Over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system can increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and other illnesses, an expert said. (iStock)
Over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system can increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and other illnesses, Oller said.
“On the other hand, our parasympathetic nervous system is the one that calms our body down — and exercise, meditation, deep breathing and laughing can activate this system,” the doctor continued.
“Laughing decreases the stress hormone cortisol, which helps reverse the stress response.”
“Laughter is free, lacks side effects, and has psychological and physical benefits.”
Some early research has found that laughter decreases stress hormones, reduces artery inflammation and increases HDL, which is the “good cholesterol,” said Oller.
“Laughter has been associated with a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease by increasing blood flow and oxygen intake,” the doctor added. “Laughter promotes vasodilation, which leads to improved blood flow and enhances circulation.”
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It has also been shown that laughter can help alleviate pain by releasing endorphins, stimulating circulation and relaxing the muscles, Oller added.
Laughing can even add years to your life, the expert noted: “It has been found that regular laughing is associated with reduced all-cause mortality.”
The role of laughter in mental health
The psychological benefits of laughter have been researched for some time, according to Sara Brides, a licensed clinical social worker who treats patients at Novant Health Cancer Institute in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“Laughter can reduce stress,” she told Fox News Digital. “Our brains can cope with stress; however, remaining in a stress response for prolonged periods of time is not healthy.”
“One way to increase spontaneous laughter is to intentionally spend time with those you enjoy and who naturally make you laugh.”
When someone laughs — particularly when it’s spontaneous or genuine laughter — endorphins are released, cortisol (the stress hormone) decreases, and dopamine and serotonin (the happy hormones) increase.
“Dopamine is associated with a sense of reward, pleasant sensations and motivation, and serotonin is associated with happiness, decreased depression and anxiety, and learning and motivation,” Brides added.
“Watch shows that make you laugh, and don’t be afraid to laugh out loud,” an expert advised. (iStock)
Lightheartedness and joy can also be a bridge to better social outreach.
“One way to increase spontaneous laughter is to intentionally spend time with those you enjoy and who naturally make you laugh,” Brides said.
Long-term benefits
A quick dose of humor is a good start, but consistent laughter could have the following long-term benefits, according to Mayo Clinic.
Immune system boost
Negative thoughts may manifest into chemical reactions that can affect the body by bringing on more stress, according to the Mayo Clinic, which means laughter could be a remedy for better health.
Improved outlook
Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations and to reach common ground with others, stated the same source.
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Lighter mood
Laughter can help lessen stress, depression and anxiety, and may make you feel happier by boosting your self-esteem, per Mayo Clinic.
Finding ways to add humor
Like many things in life, humor is a skill, said physician Oller in Kansas — and to develop a skill, practice is key.
She suggested surrounding yourself with people who are positive and make you laugh — or finding your own way to humor.
Going to a comedy show is a great way to boost “laughter therapy,” experts say. (iStock)
“Simple ways include watching or reading something funny,” the therapist said. “There is now even a practice called laughter yoga, focused on breathing and simulating laughter.”
“Watch shows that make you laugh, and don’t be afraid to laugh out loud. Go to a funny movie or a comedy show,” Oller suggested. “My favorite way to guarantee a lot of laughing out loud is playing funny board games with friends and family.”
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Brides, the therapist, also stressed the importance of finding ways to insert joy and laughter into life.
“Laughter is free, lacks side effects, and has psychological and physical benefits.”
Health
Scientists May Be Able to Make Grapefruits Compatible With Medications They Currently Interfere With
You may be among the millions of people who have seen a surprisingly specific warning like this on the labels of drugs you take:
Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication.
Such warnings are issued for dozens of substances, including docetaxel, a cancer drug; erythromycin, an antibiotic; and some statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to more than a third of American adults over 40.
The problem is a set of molecules, furanocoumarins. High levels of furanocoumarins interfere with human liver enzymes, among other processes. In their presence, medications can build up to unhealthy levels in the body. And grapefruits and some related citrus fruits are full of them.
But there is no such warning for other kinds of citrus, such as mandarins and other oranges. Citrus researchers at the Volcani Center in Israel reported Wednesday in the journal The New Phytologist that, by crossing mandarins and grapefruit, they’ve uncovered genes that produce furanocoumarins in some citrus fruits. It’s a finding that opens the possibility of creating grapefruit that doesn’t require a warning label.
Scientists had worked out the compounds’ structures and pieced together a basic flowchart of how they are made years ago, said Yoram Eyal, a professor at the Volcani Center. But the precise identities of enzymes catalyzing the process — the proteins that snip off a branch here, or add a piece there — remained mysterious. He and his colleagues knew that one way to identify them was to breed citrus high in furanocoumarins with those without. If the offspring of such a cross had varying levels of the substances, it should be possible, by digging into their genetics, to pinpoint the genes for the proteins.
“We were afraid to approach it, because it’s very time-consuming and it takes many years,” he said, noting how involved it can be to grow new trees from seeds and assess their genetics. “But finally, we decided we have to dive in.”
When they examined the offspring of a mandarin and a grapefruit, the researchers saw something remarkable. Fifty percent of the young plants had high levels of furanocourmains, and 50 percent had none. That particular signature meant something very specific, in terms of how the ability to make these substances is inherited.
“We saw there was only one gene that could have controlled it,” said Livnat Goldenberg, a Volcani Center researcher who is the lead author of the new study.
The researchers soon identified the gene controlling the production of furanocoumarins in leaves and fruit, which produces an enzyme called 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, or 2OGD for short. Mandarins, it turns out, have a mutated form of this gene that keeps the enzyme from functioning properly. This version cropped up in all the mandarin and orange varieties the researchers checked, explaining why they do not cause the same problems as grapefruit in people taking prescription medications. In these plants, furanocoumarin production is paused.
With gene editing technology, it should be possible to alter the gene in grapefruit as well, Dr. Eyal suggests. The team at the Volcani Center is now exploring that project.
Looking at how widespread this mutated version is in mandarins and some other citrus, the scientists speculate that some gene nearby on the genome must play an important role in a highly prized trait. A long-ago citrus breeder, selecting for some unknown quality, must have unwittingly spread this furanocoumarin-busting version of the gene to an ancestor of modern varieties of mandarins and oranges.
All these years later, that person’s work is coming to light, under the gaze of geneticists, who may, someday, put grapefruit back on the menu.
Cases of tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” are on the rise in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis, the disease commonly infects rabbits, hares and rodents. However, it is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans.
The bacteria is a “tier-1 select agent,” a classification given to agents and toxins that “present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy, critical infrastructure or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety,” per the CDC.
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Although tularemia is relatively rare, with only 2,462 diagnoses between 2011 and 2022, cases have risen 56% compared to the prior decade (2001 to 2010), as reported in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Cases of tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” are on the rise in the U.S., according to a new report from the CDC. (iStock)
“Increased reporting of probable cases might be associated with an actual increase in human infection, improved tularemia detection or both,” the report states.
Millions of new cases of diabetes and heart disease every year are caused by sugary drinks, according to newly published research.
Tufts University in Boston led the study, which found that about 2.2 million new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease were attributed to sugar-sweetened sodas and juices each year, according to a press release.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine this week.
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The highest rates were found in Colombia, where 48% of new diabetes cases were linked to sugary drinks, and in Mexico, where nearly a third of cases were attributed to them.
Meanwhile, in Latin America, more than 24% of new diabetes cases were linked to sugary beverages, and 21% in sub-Saharan Africa, the study found.
About 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year worldwide due to consuming sugar-sweetened soda and juices, according to the findings of a new study. (iStock)
In South Africa, 27.6% of new diabetes cases and 14.6% of cardiovascular disease cases were attributed to sugary drinks.
Sugary drinks are rapidly digested, causing a spike in blood sugar levels with little nutritional value.
Sugary drinks cause blood sugar to spike because they are “rapidly digested,” the research team said.
When consumed on a long-term basis, these types of beverages, in addition to increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, can also lead to weight gain and insulin resistance, the researchers added.
Men are more likely than women to suffer the consequences of sugary drink consumption, as are younger adults compared to their older counterparts, a new study asserts. (iStock)
Professor Dariush Mozaffarian, the study’s senior author, said in a university press release, “Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations.”
He added, “Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well-equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences.”
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Certain groups are more likely to experience negative health effects from sugary drinks, including men and younger adults, the researchers noted, as news agency SWNS also noted.
New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, who was not involved in the research, said the findings were to be expected, as diets rich in added sugars are more likely to increase the risk of chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes.
When consumed on a long-term basis, these types of beverages can also lead to weight gain and insulin resistance, experts say. (iStock)
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are a major cause of added sugar in the diet and easy to overconsume, as they provide little fullness,” she told Fox News Digital.
“The high calorie content and lack of satisfaction due to little protein, fat or fiber in these drinks can lead to excess calorie consumption, which can lead to weight gain — especially gains in visceral fat (belly fat), which has been found to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes,” she went on.
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are easy to overconsume, as they provide little fullness.”
Palinski-Wade pointed out that there were some limitations to the new research.
“This was an observational study, not a causation study, and shows only an association between diets containing sugar-sweetened beverages and diabetes,” she noted.
“It does not prove that those drinks alone trigger an onset of type 2 diabetes.”
What needs to change?
To remedy the issue, the study authors called for a “multi-pronged approach,” including public health campaigns, regulations on advertising and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, the release stated.
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“We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease,” first author Laura Lara-Castor, now at the University of Washington, said in the release.
Approximately 65% of adults in the U.S. consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily. (iStock)
Mexico implemented a sugary drinks tax in 2014, which has shown to be effective in reducing consumption, the researchers stated.
“Much more needs to be done, especially in countries in Latin America and Africa, where consumption is high and the health consequences severe,” wrote Mozaffarian.
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“As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.”
Many different factors are involved in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, Palinski-Wade noted.
“As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.”
“However, reducing your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages can go a long way toward improving overall blood sugar regulation and future health.”
The new research was supported by the Gates Foundation, the American Heart Association and Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for further comment.
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