Tuning Up Your Heart
Feel-good music may offer benefits in ways similar to exercise

(HealthDay News) -- Singing along with a favorite song or directing an orchestra in your car might be embarrassing if someone sees you, but do it anyway: Your heart will thank you.

Researchers have found that music that makes you feel good actually has health benefits.

"Listening to music that makes you feel good may also be a good preventive measure for heart health," Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and an author of the study, told HealthDay. "There's no downside."

The finding came from a study involving 10 healthy, nonsmoking volunteers who selected music that made them feel good and music that made them feel anxious. Participants also were asked to look at funny videos and listen to audio tapes aimed at relaxation.

The researchers measured brachial artery flow in the forearm, using a blood pressure cuff, before and after each "stimulus."

"In the minute after you release [the pressure], you see how the inner lining of the blood vessel reacts, the endothelial response," Miller said. "People with risk factors for heart disease, like smoking and hypertension, don't dilate normally. We believe that means that their vasculature is not healthy."

When the results came in, researchers found that brachial artery flow increased 26 percent during the happy-music phase and decreased 6 percent after participants listened to anxiety-producing music.

Blood flow also increased 19 percent during the video clip phase and 11 percent after the relaxation tapes were heard.

The increase in dilation seen after listening to joyful music was "about the same level we see after someone does aerobic activity," Miller said. "It's also similar to what we see after taking statin medication. The effect lasts for about an hour."

Miller said the positive effects might come from the release of endorphins, which are chemicals the body produces that block pain and ease anxiety and depression.

And though the study offers food for thought, people who want to keep their hearts healthy should do more than cruise the music store.

The American Heart Association says that a healthy lifestyle is the best weapon against cardiovascular disease.

• Maintain a healthy weight. To do this, choose nutrient-dense foods. These foods have vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but are lower in calories. They include vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
• Eat fish at least twice a week. Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, trout and herring, for instance) could help lower your risk of dying from coronary artery disease.
• Get moving. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week or, best of all, at least 30 minutes every day. Regular physical activity can help you maintain a desirable weight and attain better cardiovascular fitness, too.

On the Web

To learn more about preventing heart disease, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Michael Miller, M.D., director, Center for Preventive Cardiology, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore; Nov. 11, 2008, presentation, American Heart Association annual scientific sessions, New Orleans; American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org)
Author: Dennis Thompson
Publication Date: Nov. 30, 2009
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