It’s one of the most popular hymns in the Christian songbook, but apparently the benefits of Amazing Grace aren’t purely spiritual.
Scientists have discovered that singing the famous tune for ten minutes could reverse the effects of heart disease.
If your tastes are a little more pop, then the Beatles classic Hey Jude also helps, but to a lesser extent.
American researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin studied the impact of singing a variety of different songs on the blood vessels of elderly people with heart disease.
The results showed that those who regularly read Amazing Grace, written by clergyman and poet John Newton in 1772, saw the greatest improvements in endothelial function, a measure of how healthy the blood vessels around the heart are.
Andrea Bocelli sings one of the most popular hymns from the Christian songbook Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace was written by the clergyman and poet John Newton (pictured) in 1772
Hey Jude, which premiered in 1968, prompted minor improvements, as did Dolly Parton’s 1976 smash hit Jolene.
However, the American folk song This Land Is Your Land (recorded in 1940 by Woody Guthrie) did not have much influence.
Numerous studies have shown that singing is good for physical and mental health.
But the Wisconsin team wanted to see if it had a measurable effect on those with heart disease.
They recruited 65 men and women, most of them 60 years old, who were receiving treatment for heart problems or had previously suffered a heart attack.
They were asked to sing each of the four songs (under the guidance of a singing coach) and measured changes in their blood flow as they did so.
The speed at which blood circulates through the body can provide vital clues about the health of the major blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
The results, published in the online medical journal medRxiv, showed that 22 percent of volunteers saw an improvement in blood flow when they sang Amazing Grace.
But only 10 percent improved when they performed This Land Is Your Land.
The results, published in the online medical journal medRxiv, showed that 22 percent of volunteers noticed an improvement in blood flow when they sang Amazing Grace. Singing the hymn could reverse the effects of heart disease
Dolly Parton’s 1976 hit, Jolene, triggered small improvements in endothelial function, a measure of how healthy the blood vessels around the heart are.
But the American folk song This Land Is Your Land, recorded in 1940 by Woody Guthrie (pictured), had little influence.
In a report on their findings, the scientists said the physical and emotional effort involved in singing the much-loved hymn could explain the benefits, compared with other, less moving tunes.
“The physiological demands of singing are comparable to those of walking at a moderately fast pace and we found that Amazing Grace had the largest effect size,” they added.