Music could aid obesity fight

Music could be used in the fight against obesity, a leading exercise scientist claimed today.

Dr Costas Karageorghis, head of music in sport research at Brunel University, said the right tunes could improve people's health by making exercise seem easier and more fun.

He has selected songs to be played along the course of next month's Run to the Beat half-marathon in London, with the aim of improving runners' performance.

The race will take place around the O2 arena on 5 October. More than 30 live bands will play on 17 stages on the course.

Dr Karageorghis said that participants were more likely to achieve personal bests because of the music.

"Music reduces the perception of effort by blocking out messages associated with fatigue," he said "It can make the activity seem less hard and more pleasurable.

"In the long term music enhances adherence to physical activity and is a way of addressing the obesity epidemic." He said the "perceived exertion" people felt when exercising fell by 10 per cent when they listened to appropriate music.

Dr Karageorghis, who has been researching the effect of music on performance for 20 years, has studied the positive effect of songs on mature physiotherapy patients at a London hospital.

He said: "I am looking at rolling it out to several NHS trusts over the next few years."