The heart-brain axis: A proteomics study of meditation on the cardiovascular system of Tibetan Monks

Long-term meditation offsets obesity, hypertension, and reduced heart rate variability in Tibetan monks with a body mass index over 30 who had practiced meditation for an average of 19 years. Compared with matched non-meditative Tibetan controls, the monks showed a protective plasma proteome linked to decreased atherosclerosis, enhanced glycolysis, and oxygen release, along with lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL-C, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein(a). Blood pressure and heart rate variability were comparable between groups. The findings suggest meditation may improve cardiovascular health even in individuals with a sedentary lifestyle.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Summary Background There have been mixed reports on the beneficial effects of meditation in cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is widely considered the leading cause of death worldwide. Methods To clarify the role of meditation in modulating the heart-brain axis, we implemented an extreme phenotype strategy, i.e., Tibetan monks (BMI > 30) who practised 19.20 ± 7.82 years of meditation on average and their strictly matched non-meditative Tibetan controls. Hypothesis-free advanced proteomics strategies (Data Independent Acquisition and Targeted Parallel Reaction Monitoring) were jointly applied to systematically investigate and target the plasma proteome underlying meditation. Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein B (Apo B) and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] as the potential cardiovascular risk factors were evaluated. Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed by electrocardiogram. Findings Obesity, hypertension, and reduced HRV is offset by long-term meditation. Notably, meditative monks have blood pressure and HRV comparable to their matched Tibetan controls. Meditative monks have a protective plasma proteome, related to decreased atherosclerosis, enhanced glycolysis, and oxygen release, that confers resilience to the development of CVD. In addition, clinical risk factors in plasma were significantly decreased in monks compared with controls, including total cholesterol, LDL-C, Apo B, and Lp(a). Interpretation To our knowledge, this work is the first well-controlled proteomics investigation of long-term meditation, which opens up a window for individuals characterized by a sedentary lifestyle to improve their cardiovascular health with an accessible method practised for more than two millennia. Funding See the Acknowledgements section.