Effect of short-term breathing meditation on serum lipid profile and fasting blood glucose level among young healthy adults
Shikha Singh, Jalaj Saxena, Dolly Rastogi, Atosh Kumar, Anupama Gupta, Jayvardhan Singh, Preeti Kanawjia, Saurabh Saha
National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology April 2, 2026 DOI: 10.5455/njppp.2023.13.05259202308062023 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study (single-arm, no control group) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 46 |
| Population | Healthy undergraduate first-year medical students of either gender, aged 18-25 years |
| Intervention | Breathing meditation |
| Dose | 20 minutes daily |
| Duration | 6 weeks of daily practice; measurements taken before and at the end of the 6 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Six weeks of daily 20-minute breathing meditation produced small improvements in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, VLDL-C, and fasting blood glucose, and a small increase in HDL-C, but none of the changes were statistically significant. The authors conclude that a larger study is needed before any conclusive claim can be made. |
Abstract
Background: Stressful conditions such as excessive workload, physical and mental trauma enhance sympathetic nervous system activity which results in the secretion of cortisol hormone, which in turn can raise blood pressure, triglycerides (TG), blood sugar, and cholesterol, all posing jeopardy for cardiovascular diseases. Aims and
Objectives: To evaluate the effect of short-term breathing meditation on lipid profile and fasting blood glucose (FBG) level among healthy medical students.
Materials and Methods: In this study, 46 undergraduate 1st-year medical students of either gender, aged 18–25 years, were included. The serum lipid profile and FBG level were calculated before and at the end of 6 weeks of 20 min of daily breathing meditation practice.
Results: Values before and after meditation were for total cholesterol (150.28 ± 27.18 and 148.43 ± 16.67), TG (145.52 ± 22.74 and 143.93 ± 16.45), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (73.74 ± 24.96 and 71.87 ± 15.69), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (47.41 ± 4.45 and 47.72 ± 4.72), very LDL-C (29.13 ± 4.53 and 28.85 ± 3.34), and FBG (83.83 ± 7.76 and 82.01 ± 9.24), respectively but not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Biochemical parameters (lipids and FBG) improved after practicing breathing meditation for 6 weeks, although the improvements were not statistically significant, thus warranting a study on a large sample size population before any conclusive remark. [Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol 2024; 14(1.000): 144-148]
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |