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Research: PAUL-LABRADOR and colleagues,
Listed in Issue 140
Abstract
PAUL-LABRADOR and colleagues, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles 90048, USA, have investigated the effect of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on heart disease.
Background
The metabolic syndrome is thought to be a contributor to coronary heart disease, and components of the syndrome have been identified as possible therapeutic targets. Previous data implicate neurohumoral activation related to psychosocial stress as a contributor to the metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on components of the metabolic syndrome and coronary heart disease.
Methodology
This was a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 16 weeks of TM or active control treatment (health education), matched for frequency and time, in a total of 103 subjects with stable coronary heart disease. Main outcome measures included blood pressure; lipoprotein profile; and insulin resistance determined by homeostasis model assessment; endothelial function measured by brachial artery reactivity testing; and cardiac autonomic system activity measured by heart rate variability.
Results
The TM group had beneficial changes in adjusted systolic blood pressure (-3.4 vs 2.8 mm Hg; p = .04), insulin resistance (-0.75 vs 0.52; p = .01), and heart rate variability (0.10 vs -0.50 high-frequency power; p = .07) compared with the health education group, respectively. There was no effect of brachial artery reactivity testing.
Conclusion
Use of TM for 16 weeks improved blood pressure and insulin resistance components of the metabolic syndrome as well as cardiac autonomic nervous system tone. These results suggest that TM may modulate the physiological response to stress and improve risk factors for coronary heart disease.
References
Paul-Labrador M et al. Effects of a randomized controlled trial of transcendental meditation on components of the metabolic syndrome in subjects with coronary heart disease. Archives of Internal Medicine 166 (11): 1218-1224, Jun 12, 2006.
