Ancient roots - Modern applications: Mindfulness as a novel intervention for cardiovascular disease.
Gabriel Zieff
Medical Hypotheses October 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.08.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | Eight weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Proposes that eight weeks of daily mindfulness meditation, compared with a non-mindful relaxation control, may buffer stress responses and lower cardiovascular disease risk as measured by arterial stiffness. The paper presents methodological considerations for testing this hypothesis rather than empirical results. |
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been associated with chronic psychological stress. Unremittent psychological stress causes dysregulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis, which collectively promotes inflammation, atherosclerosis, and subsequent CVD risk. Stress reduction techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, have been shown to improve some markers of HPA and SNS function at rest and in response to acute stressors, suggesting that such techniques, over time, may be cardioprotective. Therefore, it may be hypothesized that eight weeks of daily mindfulness meditation, compared to a non-mindful relaxation control, may provide a novel strategy to buffer stress responses in healthy and at-risk populations, thereby lowering the risk of chronic psychological stress and the associated CVD risk as measured by arterial stiffness. The current paper outlines methodological considerations for testing this hypothesis, including appropriate acute stressors, and measurement of SNS, HPA axis and cardiovascular function. If the hypothesis is correct, mindfulness meditation would complement healthy lifestyle techniques such as exercise and diet to prevent CVD risk.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 9
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Alterations in Resting-State Functional Connectivity Link Mindfulness Meditation With Reduced Interleukin-6: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Biological Psychiatry July 1, 2016
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness based cognitive therapy in vascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Journal of Psychosomatic Research May 1, 2014
- Effects of Buddhism walking meditation on depression, functional fitness, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation in depressed elderly. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2014
- Mindfulness may both moderate and mediate the effect of physical fitness on cardiovascular responses to stress: a speculative hypothesis. Frontiers in Physiology March 25, 2014
and 4 more in the library