According to a study from 2020 published in the American Journal of Cardiology, meditation may offer stunning benefits for your cardiovascular health by lowering a person’s risk of heart disease.
The research team used data from a national survey which is done annually by the CDC and identified all of the individuals with hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, and coronary artery disease, as well as any people who reported that they meditate.
Out of the 61,267 individuals taking part in the survey, 5851 individuals reported doing some form of mediation.
Meditation Lowers the Risk of these Health Issues & the Risk of Heart Disease
After they controlled for sex, age, BMI, smoking, marital status, sleep duration, and depression, the team concluded that meditation led to a 35 percent reduced chance of high cholesterol, a 14 percent lower chance of hypertension, a 30 percent lower risk of diabetes, a 24 percent lower chance of stroke, and a 49 percent reduced risk of coronary artery disease.
The head of the study, Dr. Chayakrit Krittanawong from the Baylor College of Medicine, emphasizes that the drop of stress that meditation provides may partially be an explanation of the results.
However, he emphasized that this is solely an observational study and noted that there’s a need for clinical trials to find the mechanism that will explain the results. He also added that this study doesn’t differentiate between the various types of meditation.
Anyway, he is certain that any type of meditation will have advantages for a reduction of the risk of cardiovascular illness.
What Is Meditation & What Are the Different Types?
Meditation is a practice during which a person uses a technique like mindfulness or focusing on a specific object or activity to train their awareness and attention, all with the goal to reach mental clarity and become emotionally stabler and calmer.
Meditation is common among different religious traditions and there are various types of meditation. It’s praised for its ability to offer mental and physical relaxation.
Krittanawong points out that meditation is a powerful tool that gives people an opportunity to be calmer, lower their stress, and boost their wellbeing.
Meditation practice has been associated with reduced stress, higher mindfulness, and better psychological health. Low-risk, cost-effective, and simple, meditation may also bring about permanent anatomical and functional changes in the human brain.
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