Meditation for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews February 15, 2024 Karen Rees, Andrea Takeda, Rachel Court et al. 15 citations
A Cochrane review of 81 randomized controlled trials (6971 participants) examined whether meditation, especially mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and transcendental meditation (TM), helps prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). Compared with no intervention or usual care, MBIs reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and perceived stress, but the evidence was low-certainty and heterogeneity was substantial. TM reduced systolic blood pressure compared with active controls (moderate-certainty evidence) and reduced blood pressure, anxiety, and depression compared with non-active controls (low- to very-low-certainty evidence). Neither meditation type consistently improved smoking cessation or well-being. Few trials reported CVD clinical events or adverse events. The authors conclude that the evidence is limited and uncertain, with many small studies at unclear risk of bias.