This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction effective in women with overweight, obesity
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Mindfulness practice was effective for reducing stress and depression and increasing personal awareness in women with overweight or obesity, according to findings published in Obesity.
Nazia Raja-Khan, MD, of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, and colleagues evaluated women with BMI at least 25 kg/m2 randomly assigned to 8 weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction (n = 42) or health education (n = 44) to determine the feasibility and cardiometabolic effects of each intervention.
Participants completed a validated questionnaire, a focused physical exam and laboratory assessments at baseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeks.
Change in score on the Toronto Mindfulness Scale, a measure of a person’s ability to be mindful of one’s own experiences, from baseline was the primary outcome of the study.
The mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention included instructor-led weekly 2.5-hour sessions for 8 weeks and a 6-hour retreat session. After the 8 weeks, participants assigned to the intervention were encouraged to continue with the daily home practice without contact from intervention staff. Participants assigned to the health education intervention received lectures and participated in activities about diet, exercise, general stress management and the diagnosis, symptoms, complications and treatments for obesity.
The mindfulness-based stress reduction group had increased scores on the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (19% increase from baseline) compared with the health education group (P = .03); however, the score was no longer significant at 16 weeks.
The Perceived Stress Scale-10 was used to measure the degree to which participants perceived their life as stressful. The score decreased in the mindfulness group (15.8% decrease from baseline) compared with the health education group at 16 weeks (P = .01).
Negative psychological affect was reduced with the mindfulness intervention compared with health education at 8 weeks (P = .03). From baseline to 8 weeks, the mindfulness intervention resulted in a significant reduction in depression (P = .01), whereas there was no difference with the health education intervention group. At 8 weeks, anxiety and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey mental component summary significantly improved with both interventions, but remained significant only in the mindfulness group at 16 weeks. Overall, psychological distress, positive psychological affect and sleep-related impairment all significantly improved from baseline in both groups.
Fasting glucose level did not significantly improve in the health education group, whereas it decreased in the mindfulness group at 8 and 16 weeks (P = .02 for both). Weight, BMI, waist circumference, fasting insulin, homeostatic index of insulin resistance, HbA1c, lipid profile, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and salivary cortisol did not significantly change in either group.
“Our study suggests that mindfulness-based stress reduction lowers stress and fasting glucose in women with overweight or obesity,” Raja-Khan told Endocrine Today. “Our findings have wider implications regarding the potential role of mindfulness-based stress reduction in the prevention and treatment of diabetes in patients with obesity. Further studies are needed to determine more long-term benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction in obesity, and to confirm the role of mindfulness-based stress reduction in diabetes prevention and treatment.” – by Amber Cox
For more information:
Nazia Raja-Khan, MD, can be reached at Penn State College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, H044, Hershey, PA 17033; email: nrajakhan@psu.edu.
Disclosures: Raja-Khan reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts