Mindfulness & its Effects on Physical Health

The effects of mindfulness on health are well known with many hundreds of studies now performed on mindfulness and meditation. Studies and reviews of the scientific research have shown appreciable benefits for an array of health conditions and mindfulness and meditative techniques have become increasingly popular and are now part of the mainstream health narrative and popular consciousness.

Overall, mindfulness is associated with increased well-being, and reduced cognitive reactivity and behavioural avoidance. It is also likely to improve immune function, reduce inflammation, and reduce excessive reactivity of the nervous system. It may also help to improve relaxation and sleep by increasing available levels of serotonin and melatonin and improve quality of life by reducing pain and limiting negative patterns associated with both pain and other aspects of chronic illness. Symptomatically, it aids irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, hot flashes, insomnia, stress-related hyperphagia, and diminishes cravings in substance abuse. It is thought to achieve these diverse results by improving ‘metacognition’ (the awareness of awareness) and encouraging positive introspection, awareness, attention control, memory, and perhaps above all (and via some of the mechanisms listed) relaxation.¹ As I have previously written about, the effects of stress on other facets of health is bidirectional and so, the same is true for the relaxing effects of meditation and its wider effects on health.

In a 2017 review, 15 studies including 516 people showed large improvements in weight-loss of ~4 kg and large effects for improving eating behaviours. There were also improvements in depression, anxiety, while relatively small improvements in BMI were statistically significant and the therapeutic effects on anxiety, eating attitudes and behaviours remained significant when only high quality randomised trials were included in sub-analysis, however longer-term maintenance of BMI and eating attitudes only remained when lower quality prospective cohort studies were analysed.²

Another review of the effects of mindfulness interventions in cancer patients found small yet statistically significant improvements in psychological distress, anxiety, depression, fear of cancer recurrence, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and pain.³

An interesting review from 2017 looked at studies[1] that compared exercise to mindfulness meditation in randomised controlled trials. Meditation was shown to be more effective than exercise for anxiety, the trait of altruism (unselfish concern for others) and for facilitating positive life changes.  On the other hand, exercise was more effective for improving overall physical health, HDL and LDL cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose levels, while both interventions were comparable for well-being, reducing alcohol consumption, and reducing stress.  

Summary

Mindfulness meditation can improve many aspects of health, including improving one’s relationship with food, reducing fatigue, depression, pain, and anxiety, improving sleep, and facilitating a more positive relationship with self and others.

[1] 5 studies featuring 325 participants

References

1.         Ngô TL. [Review of the effects of mindfulness meditation on mental and physical health and its mechanisms of action]. Sante mentale au Quebec. 2013;38(2):19-34.

2.         Rogers JM, Ferrari M, Mosely K, Lang CP, Brennan L. Mindfulness-based interventions for adults who are overweight or obese: a meta-analysis of physical and psychological health outcomes. Obesity Reviews. 2017;18(1):51-67.

3.         Cillessen L, Johannsen M, Speckens AEM, Zachariae R. Mindfulness-based interventions for psychological and physical health outcomes in cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psycho-Oncology. 2019;28(12):2257-69.