Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation on Blood Pressure in Prehypertension Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand September 15, 2023 DOI: 10.35755/jmedassocthai.2023.09.13886 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 70 |
| Population | People with pre-hypertension, defined as systolic blood pressure 130-139 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure 80-89 mmHg |
| Duration | 8-week intervention with follow-up at weeks 8, 12, and 20 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | An eight-week mindfulness-based brief intervention lowered systolic blood pressure relative to a control group at weeks 8, 12, and 20, with mean differences of -3.50, -5.63, and -7.81 mmHg, respectively. Diastolic blood pressure showed a statistically significant decrease only at week 12 (mean difference -3.09 mmHg). |
Abstract
Objective: To test the effectiveness of mindfulness training on blood pressure reduction in pre-hypertension people.
Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial was used. Pre-hypertension people with systolic blood pressure (SBP) 130 to 139 and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 80 to 89 mmHg were randomly assigned to either the intervention with 35 people or the control group also with 35 people. A mindfulness-based brief intervention program (MBBI) was performed for eight weeks. The authors measured the blood pressure at baseline, week 8, 12, and 20. Mixed linear regression was used to test the effect of MBBI.
Results: Seventy participants were included and allocated equally to either the intervention or the control group with 35 participants each. MBBI had the effect of lowering SBP compared to the control group at week 8 (mean difference –3.50, 95% confidence interval –5.13 to –1.87), week 12 (mean difference –5.63, 95% confidence interval –7.25 to –3.99), and week 20 (mean difference –7.81, 95% confidence interval –9.44 to –6.18). For DBP, the authors observed statistically significant decreases only at week 12 (mean difference –3.09, 95% confidence interval –6.15 to –0.02).
Conclusion: The authors observed the effect of a MBBI on decreasing SBP and DBP. Keywords: Pre-hypertension; Mindfulness based brief intervention; Blood pressure
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |