Mindful eating versus prayer before meals for psycho-physiological outcomes in middle-aged women: A randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

Meal-time contemplative practices may provide simple complementary self-care strategies for women during midlife. This study compared the short-term effects of mindful eating, prayer before meals, and routine eating on eating-attitudes, anxiety, and physiological indicators. In this assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial, 87 community-dwelling women aged 40-64 years were allocated to mindful eating (ME), prayer before meals (PE), or routine eating control (CONT) for 7 days. Completed baseline and day-7 data were available for 86 participants (CONT, n = 29; ME, n = 28; PE, n = 29). Outcomes included the Eating Attitudes Test-26, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory subscale, blood pressure, body weight, and waist circumference. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine time, group, and time × group effects. Baseline characteristics showed no statistically significant between-group differences. Significant time × group interventions were observed for EAT-26 total scores (F(2,83) = 5.694, p = .005), the Dieting subscale (F(2,83) = 5.054, p = .008), and body weight (F(2,83) = 3.544, p = .033). However, EAT-26 total and Dieting scores increased in the ME group; because higher EAT-26 scores indicate greater eating-related concerns, these findings should not be interpreted as improved eating attitudes. The mean body-weight decrease in the ME group was 0.40 kg; this secondary finding was considered exploratory. No significant time × group interactions were found for systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, or state anxiety. This small, short-duration exploratory RCT identified increase in EAT-26 total and Dieting scores in an unfavorable direction, alongside a small short-term change in measured body weight. The findings do not establish improved eating attitudes, differential effects on blood pressure or state anxiety, or weight-management efficacy. Longer, prospectively registered trial with stronger adherence monitoring and standardized measurements are needed to clarify the clinical significance of these observation.