Older adults with more than 20 years of meditation experience have a younger predicted brain age compared to cognitively unimpaired older adults without such expertise, as measured by a machine learning model trained on brain structure and metabolism data. The difference in brain age was linked to total meditation hours, mental imagery, and prosocialness. However, an 18-month meditation training program did not produce a significant effect on brain age, suggesting that long-term, sustained practice may be necessary to support healthy brain aging.
Shorter telomeres are linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and age-related diseases. An 18-month meditation training program in adults aged 65 and older did not significantly affect telomere length measures compared to a non-native language training or passive control group. Telomere length generally decreased over time across all groups. However, within the meditation group, greater class attendance and higher responsiveness to the intervention were associated with longer telomeres, and lower openness to experience correlated with fewer critically short telomeres. The findings suggest that while meditation did not show a main effect on telomere preservation, individual factors may influence outcomes.