Earlier this month, 6-year-old Isaac went on vacation to Fort Walton, Florida, with his family. While they were there, his mother Garrett learned about LuLu, a restaurant that offers food to customers with food allergies(过敏).

At LuLu, Isaac could eat a salad and a bowl of chicken soup with rice. “Isaac looked at me as if asking, ‘Is this OK?’ ” Garrett said. Once his mom gave the OK, Isaac enjoyed for the first time the experience of eating at a restaurant. “That look on his face was like, ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,’” Garrett added.

Garrett and her family rarely eat out because of Isaac’s food allergies. When they do, she cooks something for Isaac at home before they leave and brings it with her to the restaurant. “It’s not fun and it feels unfair,” she said.

Their night at LuLu marked a celebration for Isaac. Garrett shared the moment on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving Isaac this wonderful experience,” she wrote in her post.

Barnett, the restaurant’s manager, said, “When customers tell the staff that someone in their group has a food allergy, I assist with the order by passing it to the kitchen, ensuring it’s cooked in a separate station and delivering the finished food to the guests. We have been improving this process over the past ten years since our allergy program was started.”

On Garrett’s Facebook post, LuLu thanked Garrett for sharing her story. “Thank you for sharing your experience with us,” the restaurant wrote in a comment, “We are excited to see your son so happy!”

Garrett is hoping her post’s popularity will convince other restaurants to be more considerate. “LuLu takes it seriously as we take it — nothing could make us happier than that,” she said.

Regular physical activity had nearly doubled cardiovascular (心血管的) benefits in individuals with depression or anxiety, compared with individuals without these diagnoses, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session.

The research findings add to mounting evidence that exercise improves cardiovascular health by helping to activate parts of the brain that counteract stress. Overall, the study found that people who achieved the recommended amount of physical activity per week were 17% less likely to suffer a major harmful cardiovascular event than those who exercised less. These benefits were significantly greater in those with anxiety or depression, who had a 22% risk reduction vs. a 10% risk reduction in those without either condition.

“The effect of physical activity on the brain’s stress response may be particularly relevant to those with stress-related mental conditions,” said Hadil Zureigat, MD, postdoctoral clinical research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and the study’s lead author. “This is not to suggest that exercise is only effective in those with depression or anxiety, but we found that these patients seem to get a greater cardiovascular benefit from physical activity.”

Rates of both depression and anxiety have risen during the outbreak of flu, and heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US. The study findings underline the important role of exercise in maintaining heart health and reducing stress, according to the researchers.

“Any amount of exercise is helpful, particularly for those with depression or anxiety,” Zureigat said. “Not only will physical activity help them feel better, but they will also significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. It can be hard to make the transition, but once achieved, physical activity allows those with these common chronic (慢性的) stress-related mental conditions to hit two birds with one stone.”