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AHA: Meditation may reduce CV risk
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Meditation may be a cost-effective and low-risk way to reduce CV risk, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.
“Although studies of meditation suggest a possible benefit on cardiovascular risk, there hasn’t been enough research to conclude it has a definite role,” Glenn N. Levine, MD, FAHA, professor of medicine-cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine and chair of the writing group, said in a press release.
Studies on meditation
The writing group reviewed studies that analyzed the effects of sitting meditation on CVD risk factors.
Meditation has been linked to improvements in anxiety, stress, quality of sleep, depression, overall well-being and quality of sleep.
“Many, though not all, studies have reports that meditation is associated with improved psychological and psychosocial indices,” Levine and colleagues wrote. “Further study is needed on how meditation influences physiological processes associated with stress.”
Some randomized studies have shown how meditation can lower BP. In the HARMONY trial, meditation did not benefit patients with stage 1 hypertension. Patients with hypertension in another study had a 22 mm Hg systolic-adjusted and 17 mm Hg diastolic-adjusted decrease when participating in a mindful meditation program or a control social support group.
“Reported reductions of systolic blood pressure with meditation vary widely,” Levine and colleagues wrote. “The ability to generalize the findings is limited by the lack of reproducibility of results.”
Meditation may also aid in smoking cessation. A study that randomly assigned patients an integrative body-mind technique of meditation had a 60% reduction in smoking. This finding was also consistent in another study, in which 25% of patients who had mindfulness training stopped smoking for more than 4 months. Transcendental meditation did not significantly reduce smoking in patients at 3 months.
“Potential mechanisms include management of cravings and decreasing negative effect, which has been shown to be a potent stimulus for drug-seeking behavior and smoking relapse,” Levine and colleagues wrote. “Meditation may also affect smoking behavior through changes in urge intensity and improved self-control.”
CVD prevention
Meditation may also assist secondary prevention of CVD, according to the statement. Patients with documented CAD who were assigned transcendental meditation had a reduced rate of nonfatal MI, all-cause mortality and nonfatal stroke at a mean of 5.4 years vs. those assigned health education (adjusted HR = 0.52). The study was completed in two phases with a 1-year gap in between and fewer patients in the second phase. More data are needed on the reduction of CV risk factors.
“Currently, the mainstay for primary and secondary prevention of CVD is American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline-directed interventions,” Levine and colleagues wrote. “However, considering the generally low costs and risks associated with meditation, meditation may be considered as a reasonable adjunct to guideline-directed cardiovascular risk reduction by those so interested in this lifestyle modification, with the understanding that the benefits of such intervention remain to be better established.” – by Darlene Dobkowski
Disclosures: Levine reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the statement for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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