One Thing You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Heart

Many diseases and medical conditions are caused by things out of our control. 

许多疾病和疾病都是由我们无法控制的事情引起的。

Yet experts say you can control and even prevent many of the risk factors that increase your chances of dying.

然而专家说，你可以控制甚至预防许多增加你死亡几率的危险因素。

Experts note that an unhealthy lifestyle can put you at great risk of heart disease and stroke. 

专家指出，不健康的生活方式会使你面临患心脏病和中风的巨大风险。

Poor diet, having too much body fat and a lack of physical exercise all increase your risk of heart disease -- so can using tobacco products and drinking too much alcohol.

不良的饮食习惯、过多的脂肪和缺乏体育锻炼都会增加患心脏病的风险——使用烟草制品和过量饮酒也会增加患心脏病的风险。

So doctors urge us to eat healthy foods, get exercise, stop smoking and limit our alcohol intake.

所以医生敦促我们吃健康的食物，锻炼身体，戒烟，限制酒精的摄入。

But there is something else you can do. And it is free and easy. Smile!

但你还有别的办法。它是自由和容易的。微笑吧！

Anand Chockalingam is a heart disease specialist at University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri. He advises his patients to smile.

Anand Chockalingam是密苏里州哥伦比亚市密苏里大学医疗保健中心的心脏病专家。他建议病人微笑。

"When we smile, the brain wiring gets altered. The chemicals that are released are more positive."

“当我们微笑的时候，大脑的线路就会改变。释放出的化学物质更为积极。”

He says smiling is a first step in fighting physical and emotional stress and its sometimes harmful effects on human health. 

他说，微笑是对抗身体和情绪压力的第一步，有时对人类健康有害。

This is not just New Age advice. Several studies support Dr. Chockaligam's prescription to smile more.

这不仅仅是新时代的建议。几项研究支持乔卡利根医生的处方，让他笑得更多。

When we talk about disorders of the heart and blood vessels, we are talking about cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease. 

当我们谈论心脏和血管疾病时，我们谈论的是心血管疾病，如冠心病。

And they are the number one cause of death around the world. That information comes from the World Health Organization.

它们是全世界第一大死因。这些信息来自世界卫生组织。

The main cause of heart attacks and strokes are blockages in blood vessels. These prevent blood from flowing to the heart or the brain. 

心脏病和中风的主要原因是血管阻塞。这些可以防止血液流向心脏或大脑。

The most common reason for these blockages is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries.

这些阻塞最常见的原因是动脉内壁脂肪沉积的堆积。

When you feel stressed or under pressure, your body releases many natural hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. 

当你感到压抑或压力时，你的身体会释放出许多天然荷尔蒙，包括肾上腺素和皮质醇。

Adrenaline increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone. 

肾上腺素会增加你的心率和血压。皮质醇是人体主要的应激激素。

It increases sugar in the bloodstream. If you are truly in danger, these hormones can help you. They are part of what we call our fight-or-flight response.

它会增加血液中的糖分。如果你真的处于危险之中，这些荷尔蒙可以帮助你。它们是我们所谓的战斗或逃跑反应的一部分。

However, when stressed for a long period, these stress hormones are ever-present in our bodies. And that, medical researchers warn, may lead to health problems.

然而，当压力持续很长一段时间时，这些压力荷尔蒙就一直存在于我们的身体中。医学研究人员警告说，这可能会导致健康问题。

He tells his patients to smile 20 times an hour. To some, that might seem like a lot of smiling. Or some might even feel foolish ... smiling for seemingly no reason. 

他告诉他的病人每小时微笑20次。对一些人来说，这看起来像是在微笑。或者有些人甚至会觉得愚蠢…无缘无故地微笑。

But a smile does not involve drugs. It is not invasive like a surgical operation. It is free and it has no bad side effects.

但微笑并不涉及药物。它不像外科手术那样具有侵入性。它是免费的，没有不良副作用。

"Once people smile, they are relaxing. This relaxation directly lowers blood pressure, improves sugar levels in the blood. If we are smiling, we are breaking that link between stress and health."

“一旦人们微笑，他们就会放松。这种放松直接降低血压，提高血糖水平。如果我们微笑着，我们就是在打破压力与健康之间的联系。”

And it just may provide a little extra protection to everyone's heart health.

它可以为每个人的心脏健康提供一点额外的保护。

Researchers with the American Heart Association say the connection between stress and heart disease is still unclear. 

美国心脏协会的研究人员说，压力和心脏病之间的联系仍然不清楚。

However, they claim that when people are stressed for long periods of time, they may not make the best decisions about what to eat. They may overeat, smoke or drink too much alcohol. 

然而，他们声称，当人们长时间处于压力之下时，他们可能不会做出关于吃什么的最佳决定。他们可能暴饮暴食、吸烟或饮酒过量。

They may not get enough exercise or sleep. And all of this can lead to health problems.

他们可能得不到足够的锻炼或睡眠。所有这些都会导致健康问题。

Dr. Chockalingam says a smile may be one way to help.

乔卡林根博士说微笑可能是一种帮助。