Meditation is a practice favoured by many and claims to boost focus and bring about calmness in an often busy, distracted world.
Now researchers have found new evidence that frequent meditation over several years may help alter the human gut – boosting the body’s immune system and reducing the risk of anxiety, depression and heart disease.
In a small study of Buddhist monks, researchers found deep meditation could help regulate the gut microbiome, and lower the risk of physical and mental ill health. The findings feature in the journal General Psychiatry, which is published by the British Medical Journal.
“The microbiota enriched in monks was associated with a reduced risk of anxiety, depression and cardiovascular disease and could enhance immune function,” the researchers wrote. “Overall, these results suggest that meditation plays a positive role in psychosomatic conditions and wellbeing.”
Meditation is increasingly used to help treat substance abuse, traumatic stress, eating disorders and chronic pain. But until now it has not been clear whether it could also be able to alter the composition of the gut microbiome.
In an effort to find out, researchers analysed the stool and blood samples of 37 Tibetan Buddhist monks
Tibetan Buddhist meditation originates from the ancient Indian medical system known as Ayurveda, and is a form of psychological training, the researchers said. The monks in the study had practised it for at least two hours a day for between three and 30 years
Bacteria enriched in the meditation group “had a positive effect on human physical and mental health,” the researchers wrote. “This altered intestinal microbiota composition could reduce the risk of anxiety and depression and improve immune function in the body…..seeveral bacteria have been] associated with the alleviation of mental illness, suggesting that meditation can influence certain bacteria may also have a role in mental health.”
The findings also indicate meditation may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Blood sample analysis revealed levels of agents associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease were significantly lower in the monks than in their secular neighbours.
