Hallelujah! Singing in a choir helps cut back your coronary heart assault threat by releasing feelgood chemical compounds

Belting out a pop song is one way to blow off steam.

Now scientists have concluded that regularly singing as part of a choir could regulate the body’s stress hormones.

Saliva tests on 183 volunteers who took part in twice-weekly choir practice showed a drop in levels of cortisol – released when the body is under pressure.

Short-lived bursts of cortisol production are a natural response to fear or threats.

But prolonged high levels can damage the cardiovascular system, drive up blood pressure and can even affect memory and concentration.

Studies show that people with chronic high cortisol readings are five times more likely to have a heart attack than those with healthy levels.

Researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands discovered the benefits of choir singing when they tested the saliva of elderly people living in a care home.

They had agreed to take part in 45-minutes of choir practice twice a week for three months.

Scientists have concluded that regularly singing as part of a choir could regulate the body’s stress hormones (file pic)

Before and after each practice, scientists checked volunteers’ saliva for cortisol, as well as a stress-related enzyme called alpha-amylase, also a marker for poor health.

Results published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology showed that both declined after a singing session.

It’s thought the benefits may be due to the fact that singing triggers the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain – such as dopamine – which counteract the impact of stress hormones.

The social interaction, meanwhile, promotes the release of oxytocin, a hormone that also lowers stress.

Group music therapy – where volunteers learn a musical instrument or play along with others – had similar benefits.