Meditation can change expression of pro-inflammatory genes, says new study

The first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation has been revealed in a paper published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Researchers looked at the effects of a day of intensive mindfulness practice in a group of experienced meditators, compared to a group of untrained people who engaged in quiet non-meditative activities.

After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditators showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, including altered levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows rapid alterations in gene expression within subjects associated with mindfulness meditation practice,” says study author Richard J Davidson.

The changes observed were in genes that are the targets of anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers.

There was no difference in the tested genes between the two groups of people at the start of the study. The observed effects were seen only in the meditators following mindfulness practice. In addition, several other DNA-modifying genes showed no differences between groups, suggesting that the mindfulness practice specifically affected certain regulatory pathways.

“Our genes are quite dynamic in their expression and these results suggest that the calmness of our mind can actually have a potential influence on their expression,” Mr Davidson says.

The findings set the foundation for future studies to assess meditation strategies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.