Heart Disease: Meditation reduces blood pressure and insulin resistance

Heart patients can dramatically reduce their blood pressure levels just by meditating.

Patients who used the mantra-based Transcendental Meditation technique also reduced their insulin resistance.

While it’s been known that meditation can reduce blood pressure levels, it’s the first time a study has found that it also improves fasting blood glucose and insulin levels.

During the 16-week programme, the meditators saw a significant reduction in their blood pressure without losing weight, changing diet or altering their medication.  The study involved 52 heart patients, who were taught meditation, and whose progress was compared with 51 non-meditators.

The results also suggest a strong link between the mind, and especially stress, and metabolic processing, which includes high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and insulin resistance.

(Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006; 166: 1218-24).


E-news broadcast 1 March 2007 No.338 [Subscribe]