Can singing keep you disease-free?

You may not have the vocal prowess of Mariah Carey (or even Britney Spears for that matter), but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sing. It turns out singing can deliver some serious health benefits that are well worth the embarrassment even if you have less than perfect pitch.

A study conducted by Tenovus Cancer Care and the Royal College of Music, which focused solely on people with cancer, found that singing in a choir for one hour reduced stress hormones like cortisol and increased immune system proteins called cytokines, which help the body fight disease.

Singing in a choir also has many mental and emotional benefits, like enhancing mood. But this is the first time that research has verified its benefits on physical health… and researchers are pretty elated about their findings.

“We’ve long heard anecdotal evidence that singing in a choir makes people feel good, but this is the first time it’s been demonstrated that the immune system can be affected by singing. It’s really exciting and could enhance the way we support people with cancer in the future,” said Dr. Ian Lewis, Director of Research and Policy at Tenovus Cancer Care and co-author of the research.

In a testament to the mind-body connection, the study also confirmed the mental and emotional benefits of singing in a choir and how they relate to inflammation in your body.

Interestingly enough, those with the lowest mood received the most benefit. Participants with the most severe depression experienced the most improvement in their mood, which consequently led to lower levels of inflammation in the body.

And, of course, by now you’re well aware of the impact inflammation has on the body…an impact that can mean the difference between life and death for a person with a serious illness like cancer. If a simple activity like singing can have a measurable impact on the health of people with cancer, just think what it can do for an otherwise healthy person with an eye toward prevention.

But if singing to improve your health seems almost too easy, just consider this pretty common-sense piece of health wisdom: Doing something that you enjoy is good for your health. And, the fact is, most people enjoy singing… whether they are good at it or not. So now you have an excellent excuse to turn up the tunes and belt one out in the name of health.

Source:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160404221004.htm