Smiling, laughing and simply being happy can make all the difference for our hearts. In fact, new research shows that people with higher levels of optimism may be less at risk for heart failure than those who are more pessimistic.
And with the breadth of heart failure’s effect on the
nation – about 5.1 million Americans are afflicted ever
year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – a little extra optimism is surely needed.
Heart Failure Statistics
Other eye-opening statistics from the CDC include:
• One in nine deaths include heart failure as a contributing cause.
• About half those who develop heart failure die within five years of diagnosis.
Heart failure costs the nation about $32 billion worth of health care services, medications and missed days of work annually.
The main behaviors that can increase your risk for heart failure are, the CDC reports:
• Smoking tobacco.
• Eating foods high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
• Not getting enough physical activity.
• Being obese.
Positivity Study
In the study linking happiness to heart health, optimism was de- fined as “an expectation that positive things will happen.” Researchers from the University of Michigan and Harvard University analyzed the linkage between optimism and heart failure diagnoses in older adults, since statistics show that people ages 65 years and older are most prone to heart failure diagnoses.
Researchers gathered, analyzed and translated data of more than 6,800 older adults, including health history, background information and psychological data over the course of four years. They also took into account factors that could affect heart failure risk, such as chronic illnesses and demographic factors.
The findings, published in the journal “Circulation: Heart Failure,” showed that the adults who had higher levels of optimism reduced their risk of heart failure by 73 percent. Researchers deduced that staying positive may lead people to making healthier lifestyle choices, therefore reducing their risk for heart failure.