Music to your ears can be music for your heart, too
| Songs that make our hearts soar can make them stronger too, US researchers reported on Tuesday.
| Songs that make our hearts soar can make them stronger too, US researchers reported on Tuesday.
Theyfound that when people listened to their favorite music, their bloodvessels dilated in much the same way as when laughing, or taking bloodmedications.
"Wehave a pretty impressive effect," said Dr Michael Miller, director ofpreventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center inBaltimore.
"Bloodvessel diameter improved," he said. "The vessel opened up prettysignificantly. You can see the vessels opening up with other activitiessuch as exercise." A similar effect is seen with drugs such as statinsand ACE inhibitors.
Whenblood vessels open more, blood flows more smoothly and is less likelyto form the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes. Elasticvessels also resist the hardening activity of atherosclerosis.
"Weare not saying to stop your statins or not to exercise but to add thisto an overall program of heart health," said Miller, who presented hisfindings to a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.
Miller's team tested 10 healthy, non-smoking men and women, who were told to bring their favorite music.
Theyspent half an hour listening to the recordings and half an hourlistening to music they said made them feel anxious while theresearchers did ultrasound tests designed to show blood vessel function.
Comparedto their normal baseline measurements, blood vessel diameter increased26 percent on average when the volunteers heard their joyful music.Listening to music they disliked - in most cases in this group heavymetal - narrowed blood vessels by six percent, Miller said.
Miller said he came up with the idea after discovering the laughter caused blood to literally flow more smoothly.
"Iasked myself what other things make us feel real good, besides caloriesfrom dark chocolate of course. Music came to mind. ... It makes me feelreal good," he said.
Most of the volunteers chose country music but Miller said the style is not so important as what pleases each individual.
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/st032/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/st032/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg
|
|