Meditation linked to improved heart health, study finds

Survey data from more than 61,000 people points to heart benefits

Those who meditate half as likely to have coronary artery disease, survey shows (Getty )

A huge new study has linked practising meditation to lower rates of heart disease, scientists have said.

A research team looked at data on more than 61,000 survey participants. Of those, almost 6,000 (nearly 10 per cent) said they participated in some form of meditation.

The researchers found that people who said they meditated also had lower rates of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and coronary artery disease, compared with those who did not meditate.

The greatest difference was in coronary artery disease. Those who meditated were almost half as likely (49 per cent) to have the disease.

Those who meditated were 35 per cent less likely to have high cholesterol, 30 per cent less likely to have diabetes, 24 per cent less likely to have had a stroke, and 14 per cent less likely to have high blood pressure.

The researchers controlled for other factors connected to cardiovascular risk, such as age, sex, cigarette smoking, and body mass index. After adjusting for these factors, the effect of meditation was still significant, the scientists said.

Lead researcher Dr Chayakrit Krittanawong of the Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Centre, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said: “I believe in meditation, as it can give us a sense of calm, peace, and stress reduction, leading to improvement of our emotional well-being.”

The research team studied data from the US’s National Health Interview Survey, conducted annually by the National Centre for Health Statistics.

It collects information on a wide range of health topics from a nationally representative sample.

The authors of the study said practising meditation has been linked to decreased stress, greater mindfulness, and improved psychological health. It may even lead to long-term functional and anatomical changes in the brain. They also said that meditation is also simple, cost-effective, and low-risk.

Dr Krittanawong and his colleagues did note some limitations to the study. First, the survey did not capture what type of meditation people were using.

Some types of meditation may offer more cardiovascular benefit than others, the research team said.

The survey also did not ask about the duration or intensity of that meditation. It is possible that those who practice longer and more frequently will get more benefit, but the study cannot measure these effects.

Furthermore, the researchers said despite the link, they cannot definitively say that meditation directly decreases cardiovascular risk. It could be that people who are in better cardiovascular health to begin with are more likely to practice meditation, rather than the other way around.

Other life activities might also obscure the link between meditation and cardiovascular health. The researchers found factoring in alcohol consumption and physical activity lowered the significance of the relationship between meditation and cardiovascular risk.

Nonetheless, the researchers concluded meditation is “probably” associated with lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk.

Dr Krittanawong said while the results suggest meditation can improve cardiovascular health, “we would need a powerful study such as a clinical trial to determine whether meditation could benefit cardiovascular health in veterans”.

The research team said the study adds to a growing body of research on the potential benefits of meditation.

The research is published in the American Journal of Cardiology.