Appearing first online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the results of the study suggest that meditation as a behavioral intervention can in fact be efficient at boosting the immune response without resorting to pharmacological interventions, treating conditions that lead to chronic inflammation and a “dampened immune system profile.”
The study involved rigorous meditation sessions, in which blood sample analysis was conducted before and after the meditation sessions to assess genetic activity among 106 male and female adult participants, with an average age of 40.
According to researchers, after meditation, the response to oxidative stress and cell cycle regulation pathways had been down-regulated.
“Meditation could have an important role in treating various diseases associated with a weakened immune system,” one co-author of the study determined.
“We demonstrated that the meditative practice enhanced immune function without activating inflammatory signals.”
“Together, these results make meditation an effective behavioral intervention for treating various conditions associated with a weakened immune system,” the authors also mentioned.
