A few sips of herbal tea and some time in the sunshine could be enough to improve the state of people’s bones and prevent osteoporosis, Greek doctors said yesterday.

Speaking ahead of a conference of the Hellenic Society for the Study of Bone Metabolism in Thessaloniki, the group’s vice president, Giorgos Trovas, said lack of exercise and vitamin D contribute to osteoporosis.

Vitamin D is produced by the body when it is exposed to sunlight but Greeks generally have low vitamin D levels. Therefore, spending even 15 minutes a day in sunlight can help combat the disease, Trovas said.

Osteoporosis is usually brought on by old age, when bones become more brittle and fragile. Some 500,000 Greeks suffer from the disease. Mountain tea, a popular herbal brew in Greece, helps combat bone problems because it contains polyphenoles, doctors said.

Meanwhile, Athens medical practitioners yesterday warned of the dangers of heart disease and advised people to keep calm in order to avoid undue pressure on their hearts.

According to the results of a survey prepared by the Athens University Cardiology Clinic, a few minutes of stress can have a negative impact on the body for at least one hour.

In the event that a person suffers a long period of stress, then he is likely to experience heart problems, data showed.

Athens University cardiology professor Christodoulos Stefanadis noted that depression is closely related to heart problems. A survey of 3,000 patients living in Attica showed that people with a serious case of the blues were four times more likely to suffer a heart attack.

Statistics also showed alarmingly high death rates among men under 35. According to doctors, three men in this age group die suddenly from a heart attack each month in Attica.