Happy Valentine's Day

Love is in the air and it’s beautiful and good for our hearts. February is not only the month where

we spread love by sending flowers, gifts and candy on Valentine’s day it’s also time to Go

Red for Women. This is an initiative developed by the American Heart Association to educate

the public on the number one killer of women in this country. So we have a lot to celebrate this

month!

Can love contribute to a strong and healthy

heart?

Showing love to one another, whether it’s from romantic love or love from our parents, friends,

children or even our pets help to produce the so-called love hormones. Two types of love

hormones, oxytocin and endorphins, can boost our mood and promote positive feelings of love

and well-being. Research indicates oxytocin can impact relaxation and trust and can decrease

our response to stress (1).

Oxytocin can protect the heart by reducing

inflammation and improving heart function (2).

According to an article in Harvard Health Publishing, you can boost your oxytocin levels

by exercising, listening to music or even singing in a group. Simply touching someone through

cuddling, hugging or massage can boost the release of these hormones.

So love has the power to boost important hormones that not only make us feel good but

protect the heart as well.

Decrease your waist size

Now that we are celebrating our Valentine’s with goodies like candy, flowers and gifts some might

be surprised that candy may be good for your heart. Chocolate, in particular dark chocolate

has been shown to be heart healthy by acting as an anti-inflammatory by producing chemicals

called flavonoids. In one study daily consumption of 2 grams of dark chocolate with 70% cocoa has been shown to decrease both your cholesterol and waist size

(3). Treat your Valentine with heart healthy dark chocolate or add some to your own meal. You

can find many recipes online that add dark chocolate for it’s flavor and ability to decrease

inflammation.

Hug your loved one and hand them a bit of chocolate this Valentine’s Day and you may be

helping your heart.

References:

1. Biophys Physicobiol. 2019; 16: 132–139. 

Published online 2019 Aug

24. doi:  10.2142/biophysico.16.0_132

2. Frontier Psychol. 2020; 11:2139. 2020 Aug

25. The Role of Oxytocin in Cardiovascular

Protection. Marek Jankowski. Tom L. Broderick

and Jolanta Gutkowska

3. Daily Consumption of Chocolate Rich in

Flavonoids Decreases Cellular Genotoxicity and

Improves Biochemical Parameters of Lipid and

Glucose Metabolism.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6

225491/#