Daily mindfulness practice with and without slow breathing has opposing effects on plasma amyloid beta levels.
medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences March 11, 2025 Kaoru Nashiro, B Rael Cahn, Paul Choi et al. 2 citations preprint
A week of daily mindfulness meditation with slow breathing lowered blood levels of amyloid beta, a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease, while the same practice with normal breathing raised those levels. A control group that did not meditate showed no change. The results suggest that slow breathing may be a mechanism through which meditation influences biological pathways relevant to Alzheimer's disease.