August• 2017 | 109READER’S DIGEST
small study that the brains of people
who meditate had larger volumes of
grey matter – the area responsible for
memory, emotions, seeing, hearing,
speech, impulse control and decision
making.
Howl.With laughter, that is.
Dr Michael Miller wrote in his book
Heal Your Heartthat when 20 people
were asked to watch a clip from
Saving Private Ryan,Kingpin,Shallow
HalorThere’s Something About Mary,
participants’ blood vessels narrowed
by up to 50 per cent during the stress-
inducing clips, while vessel dilation in
people who watched a funny clip
increased by 22 per cent. “After just 15
minutes of laughing, volunteers got
the same benefit as they would from
spending 15 to 30 minutes at the gym
or taking a daily statin,” wrote Miller.
Jog.Running just five to ten minutes
every day reduces the risk of death
from heart disease by 50 per cent and
overall mortality risk by 29 per cent, a
Journal of the American College of
Cardiologystudy found.
Posterior.An Oxford University
review found that people with bigger
behinds (pear shape) generally had
lower levels of cholesterol and blood
glucose and may be less likely to de-
velop diabetes or heart disease than
those who carried their weight around
the stomach (apple shape). More re-
search needs to be done to prove a
protective effect, but scientists have
observed that fat on the lower body
secretes fewer inflammatory sub-
stances than abdominal fat does.Autumn.To uncover the secrets
of living to 100, researchers from the
University of Chicago compiled data
on more than 1500 centenarians born
between 1880 and 1895 and com-
pared their backgrounds with those of
nearly 12,000 of their siblings and
spouses. They found that if you were
born in the autumn months, you have
an above-average chance of living an
extra-long life, perhaps because
milder autumn weather places less
stress on babies and causes fewer sea-
sonal infections.Cheese.Fifty-five grams of cheese
a day (about two slices) reduces the
risk of developing type 2 diabetes by
about 12 per cent, compared with eat-
ing no cheese, according to findings
reported in theAmerican Journal of
Clinical Nutrition. Researchers spec-
ulate that the probiotic bacteria in
cheese and yoghurt may lower cho-
lesterol and produce certain vitamins
that shield against diabetes. Keep to
the recommended portion, as cheese
canbehighinfat.Shop.Men who shopped daily had
a 28 per cent lower risk of dying early
than those who shopped less often,
showed a ten-year study of 2000 people
over the age of 65 in Taiwan; among