Impact of transcendental meditation on ambulatory blood pressure in African-American adolescents
American Journal of Hypertension April 1, 2004 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjhyper.2003.12.008 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 4-month Transcendental Meditation program lowered daytime systolic and diastolic blood pressure more than health education alone in African-American adolescents with high normal systolic blood pressure. The 100 participants, average age 16.2 years, were randomly assigned to meditation or control groups. Ambulatory 24-hour blood pressure measurements taken before the program, at 2 and 4 months, and at a 4-month follow-up showed greater decreases in daytime systolic blood pressure in the meditation group, with a similar trend for diastolic blood pressure. These results suggest the meditation program benefits youth at risk for developing hypertension.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 100 |
| Population | African-American adolescents with high normal systolic blood pressure |
| Duration | 4-month intervention, 4-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Transcendental meditation Ambulatory blood pressure Diastole Internal medicine Cardiology |
| Citations | 158 |
| Key finding | The Transcendental Meditation program led to greater decreases in daytime systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to health education control in African-American adolescents at risk for hypertension. |
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of stress reduction on blood pressure (BP) in adolescents by the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program. African-American adolescents (aged 16.2 +/- 1.3 years) with high normal systolic BP were randomly assigned to either 4-month TM (n = 50) or health education control (n = 50) groups. Ambulatory 24-h BP measures were recorded at pretest, 2- and 4-month post-tests, and 4-month follow-up. Greater decreases in daytime systolic BP (P < .04) and diastolic BP (P < .06) in the TM group compared with the control group across the visits demonstrate a beneficial impact of the TM program in youth at risk for the development of hypertension.