The effect of a mindfulness-based therapy on different biomarkers among patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a randomised controlled trial
Rafael González-Moret, Ausiàs Cebolla, X. Cortés, Rosa M Baños, Jaime Navarrete, J. E. de la Rubia, J. Lisón, J. M. Soria
Scientific Reports April 8, 2020 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63168-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 57 |
| Population | Patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Duration | Six-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based intervention significantly reduced faecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein levels compared to standard medical therapy at six-month follow-up. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions have shown some efficacy in decreasing stress levels and improving quality of life. However, so far, only a few studies have studied this type of intervention among patients with inflammatory bowel disease and none of them have studied their effects on inflammatory biomarkers. This current study was a two-armed, single-centre, randomised (2:1 ratio) controlled trial used to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (n = 37) compared to standard medical therapy (n = 20) in patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The mindfulness intervention blended four internet-based therapy modules with four face-to-face support sessions. The outcomes we assessed were faecal calprotectin (primary outcome), C-reactive protein, and cortisol levels measured in hair samples at several timepoints. The between-group analysis highlighted significant decreases in faecal calprotectin and in C-reactive protein levels in the mindfulness-based intervention group compared to the standard medical therapy group at the six-month follow-up (faecal calprotectin: −367, [95% CI: −705, −29], P = 0.03; C-reactive protein: −2.82, [95% CI: −5.70, 0.08], P = 0.05), with moderate to large effect sizes (faecal calprotectin: ηp2 = 0.085; C-reactive protein: ηp2 = 0.066). We concluded that mindfulness-based therapy administered as part of standard clinical practice effectively improves inflammatory biomarkers in patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.