Singing ‘Amazing Grace’ for just ten minutes a day could help reverse the effects of heart disease, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin investigated how singing various songs impacted the blood vessels of older individuals with heart disease.

The findings revealed that those who regularly sang 'Amazing Grace,' a hymn penned by clergyman and poet John Newton in 1772, experienced the most significant improvements in endothelial function—a key indicator of the health of blood vessels surrounding the heart.

The 1968 release ‘Hey Jude’ brought about smaller improvements, as did Dolly Parton’s 1976 hit ‘Jolene’. However, the US folk classic ‘This Land Is Your Land,’ recorded by Woody Guthrie in 1940, showed little impact.

The group recruited 65 participants, mostly in their 60s, who were being treated for heart issues or had previously had a heart attack. Under a singing coach's guidance, they sang four songs while researchers measured changes in blood flow, an important indicator of heart vessel health.

The study, published in medRxiv, found that 22 per cent of volunteers improved blood flow while singing ‘Amazing Grace,’ compared to just ten per cent when singing ‘This Land Is Your Land’.

The research concluded: “Singing along to a pre-recorded instructional video for 30 minutes improved microvascular, but not macrovascular, endothelial function, in older patients with known CAD. Singing should be considered as an accessible and safe therapeutic intervention in an older population who otherwise may have physical or orthopaedic limitations hindering participation in traditional exercise. Future studies should explore the sustained vascular response to singing over weeks to months and explore the potential for “earworm” effects between visits.”