Impact of a Meditation Program on Pulse-Wave Velocity, C-Reactive Protein and Quality of Life

pp. 198-203

Abstract

Background: Although various studies refer to the effect of meditation on blood pressure (BP), its impact on other cardiovascular clinical variables is unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a meditation program on pulse wave velocity (PWV),  quality of life and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP) in patients with ischemic heart disease or chronic heart failure.

Methods: This was a randomized study with two groups of patients: a meditation group (M) and an active control group (AC) with cardiovascular health education, evaluating the difference between initial and final values at 12 weeks of BP, PWV, quality of life (assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire) and us-CRP.

Results: Thirty-five patients were included in the M group and 35 in the AC group; mean age was 61 years and 80% were men. Both groups had similar baseline characteristics, except for higher number of smokers and triglyceride levels in the M group. At 12 weeks, no significant differences were found for DPWV: +0.51 (±1.40) in AC and +0.19 (±1.53) in M (p=0.37). Conversely, DSF-36 was +0.79 (±7.58) in AC vs. +5.40 (±9.69) (p=0.03) in M, and Dus-CRP was +1.17 (±2.9) in AC vs. -0.69(±0.89) in M (p=0.02).

Conclusions: A meditation program did not significantly modify PWV at 12 weeks. However, patients allocated to this intervention improved their quality of life and us-CRP was significantly reduced. Larger studies are required to confirm these findings and explore the mechanisms involved in this improvement.