Mind-Body Interactions and Mindfulness Meditation in Diabetes.
European endocrinology April 2018 DOI: 10.17925/ee.2018.14.1.35 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Meditation Mindfulness meditation Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Diabetes distress Holistic care Mindfulness meditation Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Key findings | The authors argue that mindfulness meditation-based interventions can improve biological, psychological, and social domains of holistic diabetes care, with studies of mindfulness-based stress reduction showing modest improvements in body weight, glycaemic control, and blood pressure. They caution that most studies were short and included small numbers of patients, and propose meditation as a useful adjunct to lifestyle modification and pharmacological management. |
Abstract
Diabetes is associated with significant psychological distress. It is, therefore, important to ensure the physical and emotional as well as psychosocial wellbeing of individuals living with diabetes. Meditation-based strategies have been evaluated for their complementary role in several chronic disorders including depression, anxiety, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The practice of meditation is associated with reduction in stress and negative emotions and improvements in patient attitude, health-related behaviour and coping skills. There is increased parasympathetic activity with reduction in sympathetic vascular tone, stress hormones and inflammatory markers. Additionally, several studies evaluated the role of mindfulness-based stress reduction in diabetic individuals and demonstrated modest improvements in body weight, glycaemic control and blood pressure. Thus, mindfulness meditation-based intervention can lead to improvements across all domains of holistic care - biological, psychological and social. Though most of these studies have been of short duration and included small numbers of patients, meditation strategies can be useful adjunctive techniques to lifestyle modification and pharmacological management of diabetes and help improve patient wellbeing.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on depression, PTSD, and mindfulness among military veterans: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Open 2024
- Mindfulness-based interventions for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Integrative Medicine Research June 1, 2025
- Meditation: Philosophical Foundations and its Role in Managing Common Noncommunicable Diseases. Indian Journal of Community Medicine February 1, 2026
- Meditation programs for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine November 25, 2022
- The Effects of Meditation with a Biofeedback Program on Stress and Depression Levels among People with Mild Depression Diabetes The Open Public Health Journal March 22, 2021
and 2 more in the library
Cites 22
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- The meeting of meditative disciplines and western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist 2006
- Four-Year Follow-Up of a Meditation-Based Program for the Self-Regulation of Chronic Pain Clinical Journal of Pain 1986
- Blood Pressure Response to Transcendental Meditation: A Meta-analysis American Journal of Hypertension February 29, 2008
and 17 more in the library