Love is the best way to lose weight

A recent Italian study reveals that falling in love is the quickest way to lose weight. "Love as the (diet) drug works because it sets off a reaction that lessens appetite and increases feelings of satiety," according to Italian diet experts. They add that the importance of love as an aid to dieters increases for those fighting the over-40 girth wars.

Though it’s not really good news for their business, Italian nutritionists, psychologists, and fitness experts agree that 80 percent of people shed pounds if they are in love. They are also said to reach their target weight without struggling.

"The 74 diet professionals polled admitted that following your heart can be just as effective as following a healthy eating plan or exercising and was nearly as effective for men (45%) as for women (55%)," the study further says.

There’s a downside though. Experts say that the problem is that the so-called "Cupid effect" tends to wear off after marriage or, in the most rosy scenario, lasts until the first child is born.

Alfonso Logoro, an Italian neurologist and psychiatrist, clarifies that passion activates a neurochemical wave that is transformed into psycho-physical well-being. "Recent research would confirm that this joy in living lasts from 18 months to three years," he adds.

Experts confirm that the unloved are much more likely to take refuge in food (73%), sit and laze in front of the TV (65%) or spend too much time chatting on the phone (61%). Dietitian Carmina agrees. Since her last boyfriend, she has gained 30 pounds in the last three years and not even her expertise could save her from her overweight misery.

Good Marriage, Great Health

At The Ohio State University Medical Center, researchers are studying how the quality of the union may affect married partners’ health.

For many years now, the research team has been monitoring married couples’ levels of stress hormones and wound-healing progress. Their prediction is that positive feelings about one’s marriage can contribute to overall better health.

"There’s growing evidence that the quality of marriage is related to health," says Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of health psychology in Ohio State’s College of Medicine and Public Health. "The question is, how? If you have a good marriage, do you sleep better? Eat better? Probably so. But what we’re finding is that the quality of interaction shows in the way the body responds through stress hormones and immune function."

Everyone by now knows that the level of stress can weaken the immune system, increasing a person’s vulnerability to disease. Studies have determined that such experiences as marital fighting and being diagnosed with cancer or other debilitating diseases can weaken immunity.

"For example, a study of 90 newlywed couples showed that arguments between husbands and wives weaken their immune system, making them more susceptible to illness. In revisiting those couples 10 years later, the scientists discovered that elevated hormone levels from the earlier studies had been the best predictors of divorce – 19 percent of the couples had parted, all of whom had higher levels for three of four stress hormones monitored: epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine, ACTH and cortisol," says Glaser.

Relationships Enrich The Brain

Chatting with friends are normally dismissed as a frivolous activity, but a recent University of Michigan study reveals that this keeps the mind sharp.

"As the population ages, interest has been growing about how to maintain healthy brains and minds," notes University of Michigan psychologist Oscar Ybarra. "Most advice for preserving and enhancing mental function emphasizes intellectual activities such as reading, doing crossword puzzles, and learning how to use a computer. But my research suggests that just getting together and chatting with friends and family may also be effective."

Ybarra examined the degree to which social engagement affected cognitive, or mental, function. In a study, he analyzed data on 3,617 Americans between the ages of 24 and 96, including measures of how often participants reported talking on the phone with friends, neighbors and relatives; how often they reported getting together with them; and how many people they identified with whom they could share their most private feelings and concerns.

The interviewers administered a mental exam and a series of arithmetic tasks to assess participants’ cognition and working memory. "Across all age groups, the more socially engaged participants were, the lower their level of cognitive impairment and the better their working memory performance," says Ybarra, a faculty associate at the world’s largest academic survey and research organization.

"To some extent, the human mind evolved to deal with social problems, so it’s not surprising that exercising that aspect of our minds has downstream benefits," Ybarra points out. "In fact, it may be that our technical prowess depends on our social intelligence. In studies of primates and other mammals, the size of the brain has been correlated with the size of the social group the animals typically form."

Ybarra thus encourages parents to help children develop their social skills since this in turn will help them to improve their intellectual skills. He also suggests that effective managers should equally encourage their staff to take plenty of time out to socialize as supervising them to complete their tasks.

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E-mail: mylene@goldsgymmanila.com for questions and comments.