Meditation halves risk of fatal heart attack and stroke

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Meditation can cut your risk of heart attack or stroke in half by reducing blood pressure, arterial thickening and cholesterol levels, a ‘seminal’ new study has discovered.

Researchers from the US National Institute of Mental Health say that Transcendental Meditation (TM)—where the meditator repeats a mantra—may even protect against diabetes. “If TM were a drug conferring so many benefits, it would be a billion-dollar blockbuster,” said research team leader Norman Rosenthal.

TM was tested in 201 men and women, average age 59, with atherosclerosis for nine years. Half were instructed in TM—which they performed for 20 minutes twice a day—and the rest were given advice on modifying their diet and exercising regularly.

The TM group saw such a dramatic improvement in their condition that the researchers reckon they reduced their risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke by 47 per cent (Annual Meeting of the American Heart Association, November 16, 2009, Orlando, FL).

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