Effect of an 18-Month Meditation Training on Telomeres in Older Adults: A Secondary Analysis of the Age-Well Randomized Controlled Trial.
Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science January 1, 2025 Perla Kaliman, María Jesús Álvarez-López, Asrar Lehodey et al.
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.