For the day of the kiss - exchange 80 million germs for health
Created: 07/06/2022 11:17 am
By: Christine Pander
A kiss acts like an oral vaccine.
80 million germs are exchanged - a turbo for the immune system.
Ideal for kissing day.
Berlin – Admittedly, catching 80 million germs with a kiss doesn't sound particularly romantic at first.
Nevertheless, you should never stop kissing your sweetheart dearly whenever possible.
Because this is usually extremely beneficial for most people's health.
If you do not currently have a kissing partner by your side, you will find useful information about the negative consequences of kissing in the last section of the article.
Kissing: Why a kiss is healthy - and keeps you young
When the lips and tongues of people who are devoted to each other touch, a veritable cocktail of hormones pours out over the actors: serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, endorphins and the bonding hormone oxytocin are released, while the stress hormone cortisol is deactivated at the same time.
Kissers feel relaxed and completely at ease.
Some researchers even see evidence that kissing can prevent depression.
And the release of the messenger substances adrenaline and dopamine inhibit the perception of pain.
According to scientists, kissing triggers these positive effects:
When kissing, 29 muscles move, 17 of which are solely responsible for tongue movements.
An ideal face lift!
According to medical experts, the heart beats faster during kissing, the body is better supplied with blood and oxytoxin is released in the brain: a hormone that makes you happy and provides deep satisfaction.
Microbiologists have found that an intimate kiss of 10 seconds is enough to exchange millions of germs.
This activates the immune system.
But kisses can do much, much more: the skin is particularly happy about intimate kisses.
Because when kissing, facial muscles become active, which specifically target the formation of wrinkles
can counteract.
When cuddling, the skin on the face is also intensively supplied with blood, which refreshes and ensures a visibly firmer appearance.
No make-up gives this glow effect so quickly.
Involuntarily involved in the kiss?
© 20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection/Imago
A more intensive lip workout with full use of tongue play can even help to lose weight: And not just because you can't kiss and eat at the same time: With just one kiss, active people burn up to 20 calories a minute.
A small side effect: Extensive kissing can also be beneficial for the neck and back muscles.
Since it is necessary to ensure that the noses do not touch each other when kissing, the kissers usually automatically move into an ergonomic basic position.
Kissing: Intense tongue play offers cardio training
Intensive tongue play also stimulates various organ functions: it not only makes the heart beat higher, but also faster.
Smooching puts the cardiovascular system under positive stress.
When you kiss, your heart beats up to 150 times a minute.
The positive medical effect: the heart muscle is strengthened with this cardio training.
The function of the lungs can also improve: scientists have measured that kissers even take 60 breaths per minute instead of 20.
This means that the body is even better supplied with oxygen.
Hormone experts at the Vienna University Hospital have also discovered that kissing can also help with cardiovascular problems.
Those affected should kiss and cuddle intensively for at least three minutes a day.
The positive effects according to the study: High blood pressure drops and cholesterol levels (the unpopular LDL level) improve.
Kissing: Oral vaccination through kissing makes the immune system fit and prevents hay fever
According to scientists, kissing also makes the immune system fit and acts like an oral vaccination: As the Dutch microbiologist Remco Kort and his team found out, intensive French kissing transmits around 80 million bacteria.
This has a positive effect on the immune system: the immune system activates defense cells that are supposed to render the bacteria harmless.
Kissing also has positive effects on hay fever: In a study, the Japanese allergist Hajime Kimata examined the immune levels of 50 people suffering from hay fever.
Conclusion: After they had kissed their partners for 30 minutes, there were significantly fewer allergen antibodies and histamines after this quite athletic performance
in blood.
Kissing: Studies show passionate kissers live longer
With all the positive effects of kissing, however, one must not disguise the possible negative consequences.
If you don't have a kissing partner ready at the moment, you don't have to worry about any harmful aspects of kissing.
A kiss can have fatal consequences for people with food allergies: According to a US study, 5 percent of people with food allergies have had one before
allergic reaction after a kiss.
"Even several hours after eating, food allergens can be detected in the mouth saliva," explains Prof. Dr.
medical
dr
hc Torsten Zuberbier, Chairman of the European Center for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF).
“These allergens can be transmitted unintentionally when you kiss.” Even small amounts of allergen can trigger violent allergic reactions.
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ECARF therefore advises people who are at risk of anaphylaxis due to food allergies to talk about the allergy before kissing for the first time.
Parents of adolescents with severe food allergies should raise the issue of transmission of
Address allergens in good time by kissing.
Other negative consequences of kissing can be:
Caries: Caries and periodontal diseases are caused by metabolic products of various bacteria.
Transmission of such bacteria through kissing is possible, but the risk is low because the outbreak is very dependent on other factors such as metabolic diseases, smoking (one of the main risk factors for periodontal disease), hereditary factors and the hormonal balance (e.g. pregnancy).
herpes
hepatitis
glandular fever
Bacterium Helicobacter pylori: Gastric diseases can be transmitted
According to researchers, a person who turns 70 has spent an average of 76 days kissing.
Finally, Canadian doctors from McGill University in Montreal provide the strongest argument and a plea for extensive kissing: They found that passionate kissers are not only more resistant to many diseases, but that they also age more slowly.
A study by the American Society for Sexual Behavior in Los Angeles even shows that those who kiss a lot live up to five years longer.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.