{"id":2411,"date":"2023-06-22T15:51:37","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T15:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2411"},"modified":"2023-06-22T15:51:37","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T15:51:37","slug":"the-power-of-stillness-to-reduce-stress-and-slow-ageing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2411\/the-power-of-stillness-to-reduce-stress-and-slow-ageing\/","title":{"rendered":"The power of stillness to reduce stress and slow ageing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meditation can curb the risk of disease and boost general well-being for the old and young, according to researchers.
\nby Alex Whiting<\/p>\n

Several minutes of meditation a day can improve people\u2019s physical and mental health and even reduce the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s and cardiovascular disease. So say scientists.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Nonetheless, a lack of evidence means health services are reluctant to make meditation available to everyone who could benefit, according to the leader of EU-funded research into the matter.<\/p>\n

Push for change<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m convinced meditation is one of the tools that could help make people healthier and happier as they get older,\u2019 said Ga\u00ebl Ch\u00e9telat, coordinator of the MEDIT-AGEING<\/a> project.<\/p>\n

While the project ended in March 2022 after six years, Ch\u00e9telat hopes the results will help bring about changes in healthcare. She continues to push for them as director of research at France\u2019s National Institute of Health and Medical Research, or INSERM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By 2050, the global population of people over 60 years old will reach 2.1 billion, according to the World Health Organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e9telat and her INSERM team had been studying Alzheimer\u2019s disease and ageing for more 20 years when MEDIT-AGEING began in 2016.<\/p>\n

Her own experience with \u201cmindfulness\u201d \u2013 a form of meditation that focuses on the present moment by tuning into the breath, sounds or bodily sensations \u2013 provided inspiration to look more closely at this area. So did her knowledge of the main risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases.<\/p>\n

\u2018The more I practiced meditation, the more I thought it could be really beneficial to the ageing population,\u2019 Ch\u00e9telat said.<\/p>\n

Evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation improves concentration and memory and reduces stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and even the risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n

These are all factors linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to Ch\u00e9telat.<\/p>\n

Trial of elders<\/strong><\/p>\n

MEDIT-AGEING\u2019s goal was to provide evidence for health authorities to incorporate mindfulness in their support for the elderly. The idea was that such a step could not only improve older people\u2019s quality of life but also reduce healthcare costs.<\/p>\n

Between 2018 and 2020, MEDIT-AGEING conducted the world\u2019s largest and longest trial on the effects of mindfulness meditation on seniors, focusing on people aged 65 years and over.<\/p>\n

The 18-month trial divided 137 people into three groups. One learned mindfulness meditation, a second learned English and the third received no training.<\/p>\n

Meditation and non-native-language training included two-hour weekly group sessions, practice of 20 minutes or longer daily at home and one day of intensive activity.<\/p>\n

Questionnaires, blood tests and scans of people\u2019s brains were used to assess general health and look for signs of chronic stress and Alzheimer\u2019s. Sleep quality was also measured and cognitive tests were used to gauge attention, executive function and memory.<\/p>\n

Particular attention was given to two parts of the brain known to be associated with cognition: the anterior cingulate cortex and the insular cortex.<\/p>\n

These structures tend to deteriorate with age, increasing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Meditation may slow this shrinkage as people age, according to Ch\u00e9telat.<\/p>\n

Language powers<\/strong><\/p>\n

A strength of the study was the use of the foreign-language learning.<\/p>\n

Like meditation, learning a foreign tongue involves cognitive mental training and has been shown to have a positive impact on some brain structures.<\/p>\n

The results of the trial confirmed that meditation had a significant effect on people\u2019s attentiveness and ability to regulate their emotions. In the brain scans, however, no significant changes were yet apparent.<\/p>\n

While the trial results were published in JAMA Neurology<\/a>\u00a0in October last year, Ch\u00e9telat\u2019s team is now testing the 137 participants again in a bid for more insights.<\/p>\n

One question is whether some physical changes become visible only when people clock up more meditation time than they did\u00a0in the trial. A second is whether such changes appear only several years after people have done a chunk of consistent meditation.<\/p>\n

Study participants interviewed for a documentary film about the trial said it had changed their lives, relationships with others, understanding of their bodies and acceptance of themselves.<\/p>\n

\u2018Things like that are extremely difficult to measure,\u2019 said Ch\u00e9telat. \u2018But what they say is very important, touching and positive.\u2019<\/p>\n

The MEDIT-AGEING team is developing an app of mindfulness and compassion meditations for elderly people due to be available as of early 2024.<\/p>\n

Student samples <\/strong><\/p>\n

For Ivana Buri\u0107, a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, interest in mindfulness emerged\u00a0while she was\u00a0recovering from a traumatic traffic accident that led to several surgeries.<\/p>\n

Practicing mindfulness not only helped her physical healing but also led to positive knock-on effects in other areas of her life.<\/p>\n

Now Buri\u0107 is leading a two-year EU-funded project called INSPIRER<\/a>, which is due to end in October.<\/p>\n

Using similar tests as MEDIT-AGEING, she is researching mindfulness among university students.<\/p>\n

Buri\u0107, also a trained mindfulness teacher, says many of the benefits stem from people learning how to manage difficult thoughts or emotions without getting caught up in them.<\/p>\n

Practising mindfulness lowers stress levels \u2013 with important consequences yet to be fully understood.<\/p>\n

It can reduce stress-induced inflammation, which otherwise increases the risk of illnesses including anxiety, depression, asthma, cardiovascular disease, stroke and neurodegenerative disorders.<\/p>\n

\u2018It seems to help with most mental health and many physical problems as an addition to standard treatments,\u2019 said Buri\u0107.<\/p>\n

Mind-body works<\/strong><\/p>\n

Buri\u0107 recruited 100 people \u2013 50 meditators and 50 non-meditators \u2013 and carried out MRI scans, blood tests for signs of inflammation and questionnaires about the participants\u2019 mental and physical health.<\/p>\n

The questionnaire results suggest that meditators have better physical and mental health and emotional regulation \u2013 and lower stress levels.<\/p>\n

Buri\u0107 also recruited about 80 students from the University of Amsterdam for a trial on the effects of a standard eight-week introductory course on mindfulness.<\/p>\n

\u2018We wanted to see if we can observe changes in them in that short time and compare them with long-term meditators,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Initial results from questionnaires suggest an increase in mental and physical health.<\/p>\n

Like Ch\u00e9telat, Buri\u0107 hopes that scientists will soon have enough proof to persuade policymakers to offer mindfulness to anyone with mental health or chronic health conditions.<\/p>\n

She also hopes it will become available in schools, universities and workplaces.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mindfulness meditation works, it\u2019s very simple, it doesn\u2019t cost much money and anyone can do it,\u2019 said Buri\u0107.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published\u202fin <\/em>Horizon<\/em><\/a>, the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meditation can curb the risk of disease and boost general well-being for the old and young, according to researchers. by Alex Whiting Several minutes of meditation a day can improve people\u2019s physical and mental health and even reduce the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s and cardiovascular disease. So say scientists. Nonetheless, a lack of evidence means health … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":2412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brain-behavior","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\nThe power of stillness to reduce stress and slow ageing - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2411\/the-power-of-stillness-to-reduce-stress-and-slow-ageing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The power of stillness to reduce stress and slow ageing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meditation can curb the risk of disease and boost general well-being for the old and young, according to researchers. by Alex Whiting Several minutes of meditation a day can improve people\u2019s physical and mental health and even reduce the risk of Alzheimer\u2019s and cardiovascular disease. 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