Efficacy of an Integrated Heartfulness Meditation and Yoga Protocol in Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study.
Global advances in integrative medicine and health January 1, 2025 Mansee K Thakur, Pooja S Singh, Veronique Nicolai et al.
A 12-week program combining Heartfulness meditation and yoga reduced psychological distress and altered inflammatory and stress biomarkers in adults with prehypertension or Stage 1 hypertension. In this randomized controlled trial, the intervention group showed significant decreases in anxiety, depression, and somatization, along with reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, increased anti-inflammatory IL-10, and lower stress markers copeptin and corticotropin. Correlations between psychological scores and biomarkers were modest. The authors conclude that the integrative practice improves well-being and modulates inflammatory and neuroendocrine markers, supporting its inclusion in hypertension management, while noting limitations including small sample size and short duration.