The Cellular Benefits of Meditation and Relaxation

by Ram

The Heart of a Tulip by Melina Meza

Articles on our blog by Baxter (Thoughts on Dyana), Timothy (Starting a Meditation Practice) Brad (Stress Mind, Stressed Cells), Nina (Meditation and Compassion) and yours truly (Achieving Stillness in Turbulent Situations; Memory Loss: Meditation to the Rescue), among others, have all provided lucid explanations of how to meditate and of the benefits of meditation on body and mind, along with empirical evidence of these benefits. Undoubtedly, meditation has been shown to: reduce fear, worry, anxiety, anger, and rage, reduce chronic pain, increase cognitive function, lower blood pressure, alleviate post-traumatic stress syndrome and slow down cellular aging. 

Meditation is one of several ways to trigger the Relaxation Response. Other ways that yoga provides include: breath awareness, supported inverted poses, restorative yoga poses, Savasana (with a focus for the mind), and guided relaxation, such as yoga nidra. See The Relaxation Response and Yoga and Conscious Relaxation vs. Sleep for more information on the Relaxation Response and how to trigger it.

Now, in a new collaborative study Relaxation response induces temporal transcriptome changes in energy metabolism, insulin secretion and inflammatory pathways., a group of researchers reports that meditation and other forms of relaxation trigger very important genetic, molecular, and physiological changes in the human body. Specifically, the study shows that meditation enhanced the expression of genes associated with energy metabolism, mitochondrial function, insulin secretion, and telomere maintenance (all of which are beneficial to the individual), and reduced the expression of genes associated with inflammation and stress-related pathways. (For information on inflammation see Chronic Inflammation and Yoga.)

Unlike previous studies, the latest study measured physiological changes in greater detail using techniques like neuro-imaging and genomics technology. Furthermore, the study featured both a prospective and cross-sectional component. The prospective aspect of the study featured 26 healthy subjects who were novices in the meditation and relaxation aspects (the researchers used the term N1 to denote this group). The novice group underwent weekly sessions of Relaxation Response-eliciting training for eight weeks (RR-N2) that included diaphragmatic breathing, body scan, mantra repetition, and mindfulness meditation. Additionally, a 20-minute audio CD with similar guided instructions was given to all the participants to listen to at home once a day. Thus, the trained novices (N2) served as their own untrained controls (N1). The cross-sectional arm of the study featured 26 healthy subjects who had several years of meditation and relaxation practice (M). This group was compared with the novices either before or after their training. Blood samples were collected from all the individuals at various study intervals for measurement of various parameters and for measuring gene expression changes. 

The conclusions from the study were: 

1. Both trained novices (N2) and long-term practitioners (M) showed significant temporal gene expression changes (changes that are time dependent) compared to novices (N1). Comparison between groups showed that long-term practitioners exhibit more pronounced transcriptional changes compared to short-term practitioners. Most of these genes are significantly linked to immune response and cell degeneration.
2. While some genes were modified only in long-term practitioners, there was another class of genes that were modified in both the trained short-term individuals and long-term practitioners, with a greater intensity in the latter group. 
3. Rapid changes in certain beneficial genes that provide health benefits and alleviate the stress response were induced in long-term and short-term-trained practitioners. 
4. Gene sets that were down regulated (suppressed) in both long-term and short-term-trained practitioners, though most notably in the long-term individuals, were those that were involved in inflammatory response, cellular stress, and cell death pathways. This may explain the clinical and health benefits of meditation-relaxation through dampening inflammation and stress reduction.
5. Long-term Relaxation Response practice was also associated with genomic stability and telomere length, that is, these participants had longer telomeres, an indicator of longer cell life and, by extension, longer overall lifespan (see Aging, Telomeres and Yoga).
6. The data from long-term practitioners and short-term trained practitioners suggest that meditation-relaxation practice promotes health benefits by affecting several cellular pathways simultaneously that ultimately modulate the immune and stress responses that counter stress-induced gene changes.

Chronic stress together with inflammation exacerbates everything from hypertension and infertility to depression and even accelerates the aging process. These conditions account for 60 to 90 percent of doctor’s visits in the U.S., and the World Health Organization estimates stress costs U.S. companies at least $300 billion a year. The health benefits from meditation-relaxation techniques are so strong that researchers are swearing by it and more doctors are recommending the practice to their patients to combat a myriad of modern ailments. Additionally, these lifestyle practices are easy to follow with hardly any noticeable side effects and are much better than most pharmaceutical-based treatment plans. 

I know if I have to choose between anti-stress/anti-inflammatory drugs or meditation-relaxation practices to curb stress and inflammation, I would choose the latter. How about you? 

Subscribe to Yoga for Healthy Aging by Email ° Follow Yoga for Healthy Aging on Facebook ° Join this site with Google Friend Connect