Choral singing may help patients beat cancer by boosting their immune systems and lowering their stress levels, according to a new study.
New research from the Tenovus Cancer Care and the Royal College of Music in the United Kingdom revealed that singing in a choir for just an hour significantly increased immune proteins in cancer patients. The study also revealed that group singing also significantly decreased stress and enhanced mood in cancer patients.
The latest study involved 193 patients of five different choir groups. Researchers collected samples of saliva from choir members before and after participants sang in their respective choir groups. Researchers compared before singing saliva samples with after singing saliva samples to identify any changes in levels of hormones, immune proteins, neuropeptides and receptors.
The findings revealed that saliva samples collected after singing for an hour showed significant reductions in stress hormones like cortisol and significant increases in levels of immune system proteins called cytokines. The latest findings are important because they suggest that choral singing may significantly enhance the body's ability to combat disease.
Study results also revealed that participants with the highest levels of depression experienced the greatest mood improvement after an hour of singing.
"Many people affected by cancer can experience psychological difficulties such as stress, anxiety and depression," said Dr. Daisy Fancourt, the study's co-author and Research Associate at the Center for Performance Science. "Research has demonstrated that these can suppress immune activity, at a time when patients need as much support as they can get from their immune system. This research is exciting as it suggests that an activity as simple as singing could reduce some of this stress-induced suppression, helping to improve well-being and quality of life amongst patients and put them in the best position to receive treatment."
"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," added Dr. Ian Lewis, a co-researcher in the study and Director of Research and Policy at Tenovus Cancer Care. "It's really exciting and could enhance the way we support people with cancer in the future."
Lewis concluded: "These are really exciting findings. We have been building a body of evidence over the past six years to show that singing in a choir can have a range of social, emotional and psychological benefits, and now we can see it has biological effects too."
The findings were published in the journal Ecancermedicalscience.
