Preksha Dhyana meditation modulates the serum metabolome in healthy and meditation-naïve participants.
Bassam Abomoelak, Nidhi Kapoor, Mary Schreck, Samani U Pragya, Samani C Pragya, Neelam D Mehta, José Carlos Bozelli, Meera Shanmuganathan, Zachary Kroezen, Philip Britz-Mckibbin, Parvin Uddin, Pushya Veeramachaneni, Naina Mehta, Ray Prather, Arpit Mehta, Devendra Mehta
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2026.1741802 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort with control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Healthy, meditation-naïve college students and age-matched controls |
| Intervention | Preksha Dhyana meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Dna methylation Preksha dhyana meditation Cellular pathways Correlation Lipidomics Metabolomics Serum |
| Registration | NCT03779269 |
| Key findings | Preksha Dhyana meditation was associated with increased serum levels of specific metabolites and lipids linked to cellular energy, membrane integrity, and oxidative stress pathways. |
Abstract
The impact of various meditation interventions on modifying human health outcomes has been demonstrated at both cognitive and cellular levels. Preksha Dhyana (PD) meditation has previously shown effects on cognitive skills, transcriptome, and the DNA methylome in healthy, novice college students. In this study, we performed a cross-platform metabolomic and lipidomic analysis of serum samples collected from 38 healthy, meditation-naïve participants and five age-matched participants who served as controls. Serum samples were collected from both groups, at baseline (pre-meditation) and after an 8-week PD intervention. Analysis was conducted using capillary electrophoresis and reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, and higher serum concentration levels for four circulating metabolites, namely, hypoxanthine, oxoproline, choline, and cystine, were identified along with a series of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) species (LPC 20:0, LPC 18:0, LPC 18:1, LPC 16:0, LPE 18:0, LPE 18:1, and LPE 22:6), following the PD intervention that satisfied a Bonferroni correction (p < 0.05, FDR). Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these metabolites and lipids are primarily associated with the purine degradation cycle, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism, which are critical for maintaining cellular energy balance, preserving membrane integrity, and protecting against oxidative stress. A multi-omics analysis with Data Integration Analysis for Biomarker discovery using Latent approaches for Omics studies (DIABLO) revealed positive and negative correlations between these metabolites/lipids, DNA methylated sites (DMSs), and cognitive outcomes (r > 0.5). Overall, our findings suggest that the wellbeing experienced after PD meditation might be associated with bioactive metabolites and lipids, which may also function as epigenetic modifiers regulating gene expression and biological pathways. ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT03779269.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
- Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based Meditation Training. Frontiers in Psychology 2017
- Mindfulness meditation improves metabolic profiles in healthy and depressive participants CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics February 5, 2018
- Preksha Dhyāna meditation induces alterations at the transcriptome level in novice and healthy college students Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences December 3, 2021
and 8 more in the library