Investigators from the Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health & Leisure in Porto, Portugal conducted a study to analyze the association between blood pressure and (1) body mass index (BMI), (2) degree of physical activity and (3) cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) in young people.

The study included 66 boys and 97 girls (average age around 14). Measures were taken of blood pressure and cardio-respiratory fitness during the school day, and accelerometers were used to determine degree of physical activity, both during and away from school.

Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi examined the short-term impact of a brief yoga intervention on some of the biochemical risk indicators for cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus.

Ninety-eight subjects (67 male, 31 female), ages 20-74, with hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and a variety of other illnesses, participated in a lifestyle training program that consisted of yoga asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), relaxation techniques, group support, individualized advice, lectures and films on the philosophy of yoga and the place of yoga in daily life, meditation, stress management, nutrition, and knowledge about their disease.

Investigators from the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles evaluated the efficacy of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on components of Metabolic Syndrome and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).They conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 16 weeks duration on a total of 103 subjects with stable CHD, testing the impact of TM vs. health education.

Main outcome measures included blood pressure, lipoprotein profile, and insulin resistance; endothelial function as measured by brachial artery reactivity testing; and cardiac autonomic system activity, as measured by heart rate variability

Researchers from the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University in Iowa reviewed previous meta-analyses of studies investigating the connection between stress reduction and high blood pressure and found them either outdated or methodologically limited. As a result they conducted an updated systematic review of the published literature and identified 107 studies on stress reduction and BP. 

Transcendental Meditation Reduces Blood Pressure - Systolic and Diastolic

Researchers from the University of Kentucky examined nine randomized, clinical trials comparing TM with a control condition.

Researchers from the Division of Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, performed a meta-analysis on studies assessing the effects of Transcendental Meditation on blood pressure.

Randomized, controlled trials comparing blood pressure responses to the TM technique with a control group were evaluated. Primary outcome measures were changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure after practicing Transcendental Meditation or following control procedures.

Nine randomized, controlled trials met eligibility criteria. The random-effects meta-analysis model for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively, indicated that Transcendental Meditation, compared to control, was associated with reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by approximately 4.7 and 3.2 mm Hg, respectively. These are clinically meaningful changes.

Citation: Anderson JW, Liu C, Kryscio RJ. Blood pressure response to transcendental meditation: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Hypertension. 2008 Mar; 21 (3): pages 310-6. Epub 2008 Jan 31. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Researchers from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Bridgeport Hospital, Connecticut examined the question of why stress reduction is so good for cardiovascular health, hypothesizing that yoga and meditation improve parameters of endothelial function.

In a 6-week pilot study, 33 subjects (mean age 55 +/- 11 years) both with (30%) and without (70%) established coronary artery disease (CAD) were given a course in yoga & meditation for an hour and a half, three times a week, and encouraged to continue their practice at home.

Researchers from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California find that changes in dietary fat intake, exercise, and stress management in 869 nonsmoking coronary heart disease patients result in significant improvement in coronary risk.

Researchers from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California evaluated the interactive effects of 2 months worth of changes in health behaviors (dietary fat intake, exercise, and stress management) on changes in coronary risk among 869 nonsmoking coronary heart disease patients (34% female) enrolled in the health insurance-based Multisite Cardiac Lifestyle Intervention Program.

A team from Yale conducts a systematic review of the literature and finds that mind-body therapies such as meditation, yoga and guided imagery are effective in reducing hypertension, with yoga having the strongest effect.

Dr. Ather Ali & his colleagues, of the Prevention Research Center, Yale School of Medicine, conducted a systematic review to assess the efficacy of mind-body therapies (MBT) versus placebo or active control in the treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure. The main outcome measures include change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure pre- and post-intervention period.

Ali’s team reviewed randomized, or quasi-randomized, controlled trials comparing mind-body techniques alone or in combination with conventional treatment to conventional treatment alone or no intervention/waiting list control.