By Raman Jokhakar, Tarunkumar Singhal, Chartered Accountants
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42. Music helps lower cholesterol
Doctors have found that prescribing music can improve heart
health and lower cholesterol levels. Their research found that if a patient
listens to 30 minutes a day of their favourite music, it can go far beyond
simply relaxing them mentally — it benefits them physically by expanding and
clearing blood vessels. Doctors have tried the method on some patients in
America and it has been welcomed by British experts. It is believed to work by
triggering the release into the bloodstream of nitric oxide, which helps prevent
the build-up of blood clots and harmful cholesterol.
The findings are part of a growing body of research into the
effects of music on the human body. Scientists have found that songs can improve
endurance, while 18th century symphonies can improve mental focus.
When it comes to the effect on the bloodstream, however, the
key is not the type of music, but what the listener prefers. The same is true of
volume and tempo. “The music effect only lasts in the bloodstream for a few
seconds, but the accumulative benefit of favourite tunes lasts and can be very
positive in people of all ages,” said Michael Miller, Director of the Center for
Preventive Cardiology at Maryland University, who carried out the research. He
added : “We were looking for cheaper, non-pharmacological aids to help us
improve our patients’ heart health, and we think this is the prescription.”
The Maryland study, based on healthy non-smoking men and
women with an average age of 36, found the diameter of blood vessels in the
upper arm expanded by 26% in volunteers listening to music they found enjoyable.
Miller said blood vessel expansion indicated that nitric
oxide is being released throughout the body, reducing clots and LDL, a form of
cholesterol linked to heart attacks. He also warned that listening to stressful
music can shrink blood vessels by 6% — the same effect, according to previous
studies, as eating a large hamburger.
(Source : The Times of India, dated 23-12-2008)
