The effect of a six-week program of yoga and meditation on brachial artery reactivity: do psychosocial interventions affect vascular tone?
Satish Sivasankaran, Suzanne Pollard-Quintner, Rajesh Sachdeva, Jaime Pugeda, Sheik M Hoq, Stuart W Zarich
Clinical cardiology September 1, 2006 DOI: 10.1002/clc.4960290905 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective cohort pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 33 |
| Population | Adults with (30%) and without (70%) established coronary artery disease, mean age 55 +/- 11 years |
| Interventions | Yoga Meditation |
| Duration | 6-week intervention (1.5 h three times weekly), with home practice encouraged |
| Measures | Brachial artery reactivity, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose, lipids, hs C-reactive protein (CRP) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Brachial artery Endothelium, vascular Humans Blood glucose Lipids C-reactive protein Body mass index Treatment outcome Yoga Multivariate analysis Case-control studies Prospective studies Pilot projects Stress, psychological Blood pressure Heart rate Vasodilation Adult Middle aged Female Coronary artery disease Biomarkers |
| Key findings | In the total cohort, yoga and meditation significantly reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and BMI, but produced no significant improvement in endothelial-dependent vasodilation (16.7% relative increase, 7.2% to 8.4%; p=0.3). In the coronary artery disease subgroup, vasodilation improved 69% (6.38% to 10.78%), a change reported as not statistically significant (p=0.09). The authors conclude that yoga and meditation appear to improve endothelial function in subjects with CAD. |
Abstract
Background: Chronic stress is estimated to increase the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events two-fold. Although stress reduction has been linked to a reduction in CV events, little is known regarding its exact mechanism of benefit. Hypothesis: Yoga and meditation will improve parameters of endothelial function.
Methods: We examined the effects of yoga and meditation on hemodynamic and laboratory parameters as well as on endothelial function in a 6-week pilot study. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate, body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose, lipids, hs C-reactive protein (CRP), and endothelial function (as assessed by brachial artery reactivity) were all studied at baseline and after 6 weeks of yoga practice.
Results: A course in yoga and meditation was given to the subjects for 1.5 h three times weekly for 6 weeks and subjects were instructed to continue their efforts at home. This prospective cohort study included 33 subjects (mean age 55 +/- 11 years) both with (30%) and without (70%) established coronary artery disease (CAD). There were significant reductions in blood pressure, heart rate, and BMI in the total cohort with yoga. None of the laboratory parameters changed significantly with yoga. For the total cohort there was no significant improvement in endothelial-dependent vasodilatation with yoga training and meditation compared with baseline (16.7% relative improvement from 7.2-8.4%; p = 0.3). In the group with CAD, endothelial-dependent vasodilatation improved 69% with yoga training (6.38-10.78%; p = 0.09).
Conclusion: Yoga and meditation appear to improve endothelial function in subjects with CAD.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Physiological effects of yogic practices and transcendental meditation in health and disease North American Journal of Medical Sciences 2012
- Learning as a Path, Not a Goal: Contemplative Pedagogy – Its Principles and Practices Teaching Theology & Religion April 1, 2011
- Effects of Buddhist walking meditation on exercise capacity and quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure: A randomized controlled trial. Heart & Lung 2021
- A naturalistic study of yoga, meditation, self-perceived stress, self-compassion, and mindfulness in college students Health psychology and behavioral medicine 2019
- Meditation and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Journal of the American Heart Association September 28, 2017
and 3 more in the library