That classical music brings psychic and physical benefits is increasingly evident, also for babies. A recent Israeli study indicates that Mozart's tunes could stimulate the metabolism of premature babies, which would help them gain the necessary weight.
Doctors at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center measured the energy expenditure of 20 prematurely born children while listening to Mozart in his incubator. It was found that listening to this music a baby can have a lower energy expenditure and gain weight faster than without music.
However, despite the fame of the "Mozart effect", the report indicates that it was not clear whether the study has detected this effect by the composer or a potential benefit of music in general, something that seems proven.
A previous study on adults with seizures found that Mozart's compositions, similar to that of other classical authors, seemed to reduce the frequency of these episodes.
The team of researchers said that it is possible that the proposed Mozart effect on the brain is related to the structure of its compositions since the music of the Austrian composer tends to repeat the melodic line more frequently.
This new study confirms that music is beneficial for premature babies, although these positive effects have sometimes been questioned.
The study has been published in the latest issue of the medical journal. Pediatrics with the title of "Effect of Music by Mozart on Energy Expenditure in Growing Preterm Infants" (Effect of Mozart's music on energy expenditure in preterm infants). You can see the full article (in English) about the Mozart effect in premature babies from here.
