Forget fad diets and sketchy supplements, your favorite song might be the key to staying thin.
In a new study, Japanese researchers found that acoustic sound waves can influence how our cells behave — including halting fat development.
“Since sound is non-material, acoustic stimulation is a tool that is non-invasive, safe and immediate, and will likely benefit medicine and healthcare,” corresponding author Masahiro Kumeta said in a statement.
Sound is more than just noise — it’s made up of mechanical waves that create tiny vibrations traveling through the air, water or even tissue.
We’ve long known that animals use sound vibrations in their bones to communicate and gather important information about their surroundings, but scientists are only now beginning to understand how sound affects us on a deeper, cellular level.
Music for your cells
The new research builds on a 2018 study by Kumeta and his team that found that sound waves can influence genes involved in bone formation and wound healing.
“To investigate the effect of sound on cellular activities, we designed a system to bathe cultured cells in acoustic waves,” Kumeta said.
They tested three sounds on muscle cells taken from mice: white noise, a 440 Hz tone (the “A” note on a piano) and a high-pitched 14 kHz tone (close to the highest pitch most people can hear).
The results were striking. After just two hours of sound exposure, 42 genes had changed. After 24 hours, an impressive 145 genes showed altered activity.
The way the cells responded depended on the frequency, intensity and pattern of the sound wave. The response also varied based on the type of cell.
The most significant finding of the study was that the sound waves stopped adipocyte differentiation — the process where preadipocytes (precursor cells) turn into mature fat cells that store fat.
When exposed to the sound vibrations, the researchers found that many preadipocyte cells didn’t mature into fat cells as expected. Those that did mature contained about 15% less fat than normal.
This effect was seen whether the cells were exposed to continuous sound for three days or just two hours of sound each day over three days.
Though still in its early stages, researchers said this breakthrough may one day lead to new non-invasive treatments that could aid with everything from managing metabolism to speeding wound healing.
Kumeta’s team isn’t alone in exploring the potential of acoustics for health. At Stanford University, researchers are using sound waves to rearrange heart cells that are too tightly packed, improving nutrient flow.
Meanwhile, acoustic wave therapy — which sends vibrations into our tissues — is already being used to treat conditions like chronic pain, erectile dysfunction and soft-tissue injuries by boosting circulation and reducing inflammation.
Next up, Kumeta and his team want to experiment with tuning sound waves to target specific cell types, opening the door for more tailored, non-invasive treatments.
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