Epigenetic clock analysis in long-term meditators.
Raphaëlle Chaix, María Jesús Álvarez-López, Maud Fagny, Laure Lemee, Béatrice Regnault, Richard J. Davidson, Antoine Lutz, Perla Kaliman
Psychoneuroendocrinology November 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.016 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional observational study Randomized Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Long-term meditators and meditation-naïve controls |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Measures | Intrinsic Epigenetic Age Acceleration (IEAA), Horvath's calculator |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Biological aging Blood Epigenetics Methylation Stress |
| Key findings | IEAA was similar between meditators and controls overall, but older controls (age 52 and above) had significantly higher IEAA than younger controls, whereas meditators did not show this age-related acceleration. Among meditators, IEAA correlated negatively with years of regular meditation practice. The authors hypothesize that long-term meditation may slow the epigenetic clock, pending confirmation in longitudinal randomized trials. |
Abstract
In this paper, we examined whether meditation practice influences the epigenetic clock, a strong and reproducible biomarker of biological aging, which is accelerated by cumulative lifetime stress and with age-related chronic diseases. Using the Illumina 450K array platform, we analyzed the DNA methylome from blood cells of long-term meditators and meditation-naïve controls to estimate their Intrinsic Epigenetic Age Acceleration (IEAA), using Horvath's calculator. IEAA was similar in both groups. However, controls showed a different IEAA trajectory with aging than meditators: older controls (age≥52) had significantly higher IEAAs compared with younger controls (age <52), while meditators were protected from this epigenetic aging effect. Notably, in the meditation group, we found a significant negative correlation between IEAA and the number of years of regular meditation practice. From our results, we hypothesize that the cumulative effects of a regular meditation practice may, in the long-term, help to slow the epigenetic clock and could represent a useful preventive strategy for age-related chronic diseases. Longitudinal randomized controlled trials in larger cohorts are warranted to confirm and further characterize these findings.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 24
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- Mindfulness-Based Programs Improve Psychological Flexibility, Mental Health, Well-Being, and Time Management in Academics European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education November 3, 2020
- Biological mechanism study of meditation and its application in mental disorders General Psychiatry July 13, 2020
- Efectos psicológicos de una intervención de mindfulness realizada en la vuelta a la calma de la clase de Edu-cación Física: un estudio cuasi-experimental (Psychological effects of a mindfulness intervention performed during the cool down in the Physical Educa-tion class: a quasi-experimental study) Retos June 20, 2023
- Three months-longitudinal changes in relative telomere length, blood chemistries, and self-report questionnaires in meditation practitioners compared to novice individuals during midlife Medicine October 14, 2022
and 19 more in the library
Cites 7
- Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Psychoneuroendocrinology June 1, 2011
- Zen meditation, Length of Telomeres, and the Role of Experiential Avoidance and Compassion Mindfulness February 22, 2016
- The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging Current behavioral neuroscience reports October 18, 2016
- Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences January 21, 2016
- Influence of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Telomerase Activity in Women With Breast Cancer (BC) Biological Research for Nursing January 30, 2014
and 2 more in the library