Music medicine for diabetes, hypertension, and perceived stress: An open labelled randomized control trial in Sri Lanka
In brief
Personalized music therapy lowers HbA1c by about 0.9% after three months
In a Sri Lankan trial of adults with type 2 diabetes, adding customized music sessions to usual care reduced average HbA1c by 0.87% and cut perceived stress scores by three points at three months, while blood pressure and pulse were unchanged. The glycemic benefit faded by six months, and the findings need confirmation before routine use.
- Journal
- Diabetes & metabolic syndrome (Q1)
- Published
- 26 August 2026
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Evidence level
- Level 1, High (CEBM 1b)
- Authors
- Balapuwaduge Isuru Layan Madusanka Mendis, Palihaderu Arachchilage Dineth Supasan Palihaderu, Panduka Karunanayake, Dilan Amila Satharasinghe, Iyanthimala Harshini Rajapakse, Jayasekara Mudiyanselage Krishanthi Jayarukshi Kumari Premarathne, et al.
- PMID
- 42705131
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.dsx.2026.103481
Why clinicians should know about it
- Picked for Internal Medicine (top studies of the week, 13 September 2026): High-quality evidence in a top journal
- Picked for Family Practice (paper of the day, 9 September 2026): Phase III RCT, practice‑changing for diabetes stress management
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic stress is a recognized risk factor for poor glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Music has shown promise as a low-cost intervention for stress reduction, but evidence in T2DM remains limited. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial among adults with T2DM attending the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. Participants were randomized to customized music medicine with usual care (n = 172) or usual care alone (n = 177) and followed for 3 and 6 months. Primary outcomes were HbA1c, blood pressure, pulse rate, and perceived stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The primary analysis used a complete-case approach, with intention-to-treat sensitivity analysis using last-observation-carried-forward. RESULTS: At 3 months, the treatment group showed a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c (-0.87, 95% CI -1.46 to -0.28) and perceived stress (-3.23, 95% CI -5.26 to -1.20) than the control group. At 6 months, although HbA1c remained numerically lower in the treatment group, the between-group difference in the primary complete-case analysis was not statistically significant (-0.61, 95% CI -1.44 to 0.22). Age-stratified exploratory analyses suggested greater HbA1c reduction in the <60-year subgroup at 3 months, but these findings should be interpreted cautiously because no multiplicity adjustment was applied. No significant between-group differences were observed for systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate. CONCLUSION: Customized music medicine may be a useful complementary intervention for reducing perceived stress and improving short-term glycemic control in adults with T2DM.
Abstract as published, via PubMed.
For healthcare professionals. The summary is generated by AI from the published abstract, and the evidence level is assigned automatically from the study design on the Oxford CEBM hierarchy. Neither is medical advice. Read the full paper before changing practice.