medRxiv
July 10, 2026
Daniel Copeland, Naoise Mac Giollabhui, Louisa G Sylvia et al.
preprint
Background: Despite growing evidence that lifestyle interventions reduce depressive symptoms, the psychological mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly understood. This study examined whether mindfulness and rumination mediate the antidepressant effects of heated yoga (HY), a multicomponent intervention combining physical activity, attentional training, and thermoregulatory stress....
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
January 4, 2025
Elissa S Epel, Brian P Don, Stefanie E Mayer et al.
To cope with chronic stress, which can contribute to depression, humans often pursue arousal-reducing activities. Yet, hormetic stressors (intermittent, acute stressors) might also reduce chronic stress. We compared the effects of arousal-reducing and arousal-enhancing interventions on depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Female adults (N = 141; predominantly White, 63%, and Asian, 34%)...
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
November 1, 2024
Robin Blades, Wendy Berry Mendes, Brian P Don et al.
Stress is a driver of depression, and people with depression often struggle to cope with stress and anxiety. This study directly compares the mental health effects of a Wim Hof Method intervention to an active control condition (slow breathing) in women with high stress and high depressive symptoms. We randomized 84 healthy midlife women with high stress and high depressive symptoms to either:...
PLoS One
2023
Rachel M Radin, Elissa S Epel, Ashley E Mason et al.
Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being at work; however, effects on food cravings and metabolic health are not well known. We tested effects of digital meditation, alone or in combination with a healthy eating program, on perceived stress, cravings, and adiposity. We randomized 161 participants with overweight and moderate stress to digital meditation ('MED,' n = 38), digital meditation...
JMIR Research Protocols
October 18, 2018
Ashley E Mason, Laura R. Saslow, Patricia J Moran et al.
19 citations
BACKGROUND: Diet patterns have a profound influence on glycemic control for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and craving-related eating is an important obstacle to dietary adherence. A growing body of research suggests that carbohydrate-restricted (CR) diets can improve glycemic control and reduce medication dependence in T2DM. However, limited data speak to the effects of...
Frontiers in Psychology
2018
Judson A. Brewer, Andrea Ruf, Ariel L Beccia et al.
83 citations
Emotional and other maladaptive eating behaviors develop in response to a diversity of triggers, from psychological stress to the endless external cues in our modern food environment. While the standard approach to food- and weight-related concerns has been weight-loss through dietary restriction, these interventions have produced little long-term benefit, and may be counterproductive. A...
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
December 28, 2016
Elizabeth Adler, Anand Dhruva, Patricia J Moran et al.
Background and objective: Sleep disturbance is a common problem among adults with obesity. Mindfulness interventions have been shown to improve sleep quality in various populations but have not been investigated in adults with obesity. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a mindfulness-based weight-loss intervention with an active control on self-reported sleep quality among...
Journal of Behavioral Medicine
November 12, 2015
Ashley E Mason, Elissa S Epel, Jean L. Kristeller et al.
We evaluated changes in mindful eating as a potential mechanism underlying the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention for weight loss on eating of sweet foods and fasting glucose levels. We randomized 194 obese individuals (M age = 47.0 ± 12.7 years; BMI = 35.5 ± 3.6; 78% women) to a 5.5-month diet-exercise program with or without mindfulness training. The mindfulness group, relative to...