Stress Reduction in the Prevention of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental Meditation and Health Education in Hypertensive African Americans.
Ethnicity & disease January 1, 2019 Robert H Schneider, Hector F Myers, Komal Marwaha et al.
In a randomized trial, 85 African American adults with hypertension were assigned to either the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program or a health education control group. After six months, the TM group showed a significantly lower left ventricular mass index (LVMI) compared to the control group, with a mean difference of -7.55 g/m², suggesting TM may help prevent left ventricular hypertrophy and associated cardiovascular disease. Both groups experienced significant reductions in blood pressure and anger, with no other lifestyle changes. The authors conclude that stress reduction with TM was effective in preventing LVMI progression in this high-risk population.