Mindfulness-based stress reduction program improves psychological well-being and blood pressure in an Italian context: potential mechanisms and benefits.
Rita Canella, Teresa Fazia, Concetta Gardi
Psychology, Health & Medicine September 23, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2025.2561740 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental (one-group pretest-posttest) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Adult volunteers |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Blood pressure Antioxidants Cortisol Cytokines Mindfulness-based stress reduction Saliva |
| Key findings | MBSR significantly lowered stress, anxiety, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cortisol, IL-6, and IL-8, and increased awareness and carotenoids. |
Abstract
Chronic psychosocial stress may exacerbate inflammation and oxidative stress, potentially contributing to the aetiology of many lifestyle-related diseases, including elevation of blood pressure (BP) and increased cardiovascular risk. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) improves psychological well-being, but few studies have investigated its effect on biological parameters related to stress. This study evaluated whether the MBSR program can lower stress and anxiety and improve some biological stress markers. This is a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. We recruited 42 adult volunteers to partake in a standard 8-week MBSR program. The main outcomes were psychological well-being (perceived stress, anxiety and awareness) and stress-related biomarkers (systolic and diastolic BP, salivary cortisol, IL-6 and IL-8 levels, plasma carotenoids concentration). MBSR decreased stress (p = 0.002) and anxiety (p = 0.05) and increased awareness (p = 0.01). MBSR also significantly lowered systolic and diastolic BP (p = 0.02; p = 0.001), cortisol (p = 0.01), and IL-6 and IL-8 pro-inflammatory cytokines (p = 0.02; p = 0.03), and enhanced carotenoids (p = 0.03). We found a strong positive correlation between Δ PSS and Δ STAI-Y1 (r = 0.62, p = 0.008), Δ STAI-Y1 and Δ IL8 (r = 0.74, p = 0.0007), and Δ PSS and Δ IL8 (r = 0.5, p = 0.04). Significant negative correlations were observed between Δ PSS and Δ MAAS (r = -0.77, p = 0.0003), Δ STAI-Y1 and Δ MAAS (r = -0.51, p = 0.04), and Δ MAAS and Δ IL8 (r = -0.68, p = 0.003). These preliminary data indicate that the MBSR program significantly improves all the analysed parameters. This program can help cope with stress and anxiety and lower BP by reducing nervous system activation and cortisol levels. By regulating cortisol levels, MBSR can lower inflammation and oxidative stress responses involved in many diseases, including hypertension. Further studies are needed to unravel the complex relationship between mindfulness and its effects on human health.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 14
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity and mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical contexts: A review and synthesis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews February 22, 2022
- Neurobiological Changes Induced by Mindfulness and Meditation: A Systematic Review. Biomedicines November 15, 2024
- Mindfulness training and systemic low-grade inflammation in stressed community adults: Evidence from two randomized controlled trials PLoS One July 11, 2019
- Comparing impacts of meditation training in focused attention, open monitoring, and mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on emotion reactivity and regulation: Neural and subjective evidence from a dismantling study Psychophysiology February 19, 2022
and 9 more in the library