Five Health Benefits You Might Be Surprised Come From Kissing
We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about howplumsandgooseberriescan benefit your heart, hair, bones, and much more. And we’ve shared how even small bursts of exercise, likea 1. 6km walkor a10-minute run, can. . .
We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about howplumsandgooseberriescan benefit your heart, hair, bones, and much more. And we’ve shared how even small bursts of exercise, likea 1. 6km walkor a10-minute run, can help you to live longer, too. But if you’re after an even more enjoyable health-boosting activity, it seems you could do a lot worse than kissing. Here are just a few health reasons to pucker up:What are the health benefits of kissing?1) It can boost your immune systemIn general, falling in loveseemsto be good for our immune system. And kissing in particular introduces a lot of new bacteria to your mouth – which, while it sounds gross,might actually boostour disease-fighting capabilities further. 2) It might help you to control your cholesterol levelsAt least, that’s according toa 2023 paperwhich found that people who kissed at least seven times a month were less likely to have problematic levels of “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. 3) It can help to reduce stressYou might not have needed a research paper to prove that kissing can de-stress us, but in case you did,this 2023 studyfound that affectionate physical touch can keep worries at bay. 4) Researchers are exploring whether kissing can prevent cavitiesWe know that not producing enough saliva can give cavity-producing bacteria more of a chance to get to work. That’s whysome experts recommendeating xylitol-containing foods like some sugar-free chewing gums, strawberries, oats, plums, mushrooms, and lettuce – the sugar alcohol increases saliva flow, reducing your risk of developing caries. Researchers are exploringwhether or not swapping saliva with your partner has a similar effect, helping our teeth to recover faster from exposure to sugary and/or fermented items. 5) It might just lower your blood pressureA systematic review focusing on physical touch, including kissing and massages, found that the interventionmay be linkedto better-managed blood pressure.