Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators

Jacobs, Tonya L.; Epel, Elissa S.; Lin, Jue; Blackburn, Elizabeth H.; Wolkowitz, Owen M.; Bridwell, David A.; Zanesco, Anthony P.; Aichele, Stephen; Sahdra, Baljinder K.; MacLean, Katherine A.; King, Brandon G.; Shaver, Phillip R.; Rosenberg, Erika L.; Ferrer, Emilio; Wallace, B. Alan; Saron, Clifford D.

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.09.010

Cited by 363 publications

(269 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…For example, people with higher purpose not only live longer, but they also have a reduced risk of debilitating conditions, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, loss of physical functioning, and Alzheimer's disease (10,(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)43). Biologically, higher purpose has been linked with a healthier profile of biomarkers, including lower levels of salivary cortisol, lower levels of soluble IL-6r (an important inflammatory factor), a lower waist-hip ratio, higher levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol), and healthier telomerase activity (22)(23)(24)(25)44). Furthermore, purpose may impact health through the immune system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Kim

Strecher

Ryff

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

230

194

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Purpose in life has been linked with better health (mental and physical) and health behaviors, but its link with patterns of health care use are understudied. We hypothesized that people with higher purpose would be more proactive in taking care of their health, as indicated by a higher likelihood of using preventive health care services. We also hypothesized that people with higher purpose would spend fewer nights in the hospital. Participants (n = 7,168) were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50, and tracked for 6 y. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, each unit increase in purpose (on a six-point scale) was associated with a higher likelihood that people would obtain a cholesterol test [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08-1.29] or colonoscopy (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.99-1.14). Furthermore, females were more likely to receive a mammogram/ X-ray (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.16-1.39) or pap smear (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06-1.28), and males were more likely to receive a prostate examination (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.18-1.45). Each unit increase in purpose was also associated with 17% fewer nights spent in the hospital (rate ratio = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77-0.89). An increasing number of randomized controlled trials show that purpose in life can be raised. Therefore, with additional research, findings from this study may inform the development of new strategies that increase the use of preventive health care services, offset the burden of rising health care costs, and enhance the quality of life among people moving into the ranks of our aging society.purpose in life | meaning in life | well-being | health screening T hree factors converge to underscore the heightened importance of preventive health care services among United States adults. First, there is the rapidly aging population: by 2050, the number of United States adults over the age of 65 is estimated to double (1). Second, there is the rising cost of medical care: chronic illnesses and end-of-life issues that older adults face are expensive. The Congressional Budget office projects that spending on Medicare will nearly double as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), from 3.7% in 2012 to 7.3% by 2050 (2). Third, despite spending more on health care than any country in the world, United States adults generally have poorer health and lower life expectancies than those in other developed countries (3,4). This health disadvantage is not solely attributable to those who are poor and underprivileged, because even wealthy, educated Americans are in poorer health than their counterparts in comparable countries (3, 4).These troublesome realities could be offset by greater use of preventive health care services, which are known to enhance health and reduce health care costs. However, in 2007 the Brookings Institution estimated that only 4% of the $1.7 trillion spent on national health expenditures was for prevention (5). Older adults, in particular, use less prev...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Kim

Strecher

Ryff

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

230

194

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“…Behavioral interventions that reduce stress have also been linked to higher telomerase activity. For example, in one study, an intensive lifestyle change program consisting of dieting, counseling, and stress management was associated with increases in telomerase activity (22), and in a second study, intensive meditation was associated with higher postintervention telomerase (23).…”

Section: Developmental Programming | Fetal Originmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress exposure in intrauterine life is associated with shorter telomere length in young adulthood

Entringer

Epel

Kumsta

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

342

239

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Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a predictor of age-related disease onset and mortality. The association in adults of psychosocial stress or stress biomarkers with LTL suggests telomere biology may represent a possible underlying mechanism linking stress and health outcomes. It is, however, unknown whether stress exposure in intrauterine life can produce variations in LTL, thereby potentially setting up a long-term trajectory for disease susceptibility. We, therefore, as a first step, tested the hypothesis that stress exposure during intrauterine life is associated with shorter telomeres in adult life after accounting for the effects of other factors on LTL. LTL was assessed in 94 healthy young adults. Forty-five subjects were offspring of mothers who had experienced a severe stressor in the index pregnancy (prenatal stress group; PSG), and 49 subjects were offspring of mothers who had a healthy, uneventful index pregnancy (comparison group; CG). Prenatal stress exposure was a significant predictor of subsequent adult telomere length in the offspring (178-bp difference between prenatal stress and CG; d = 0.41 SD units; P < 0.05). The effect was substantially unchanged after adjusting for potential confounders (subject characteristics, birth weight percentile, and early-life and concurrent stress level), and was more pronounced in women (295-bp difference; d = 0.68 SD units; P < 0.01). To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence in humans of an association between prenatal stress exposure and subsequent shorter telomere length. This observation may help shed light on an important biological pathway underlying the developmental origins of adult health and disease risk.developmental programming | fetal origin

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“…24 However, there was no control group and TL was not measured. More recently, 3 small trails of meditation intervention studies measured telomerase activity in healthy volunteers, 25 individuals with obesity, 26 and caregivers of patients with Alzheimer disease. 27 One study also measured TL in healthy meditators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…27 One study also measured TL in healthy meditators. 28 Although each of these trials demonstrated promising results, they had small sample sizes (ranging from 37-60 participants) and only postassessment measurements, 25 and the one study that measured TL (as opposed to telomerase) 28 lacked randomization. Assessing TL before and after psychosocial interventions would allow for the development of an understanding of the potential short-term effects of psychosocial support and mind-body practices on TL.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness‐based cancer recovery and supportive‐expressive therapy maintain telomere length relative to controls in distressed breast cancer survivors

Carlson

Beattie

Giese‐Davis

et al. 2014

Cancer

132

105

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BACKGROUND: Group psychosocial interventions including mindfulness-based cancer recovery (MBCR) and supportive-expressive group therapy (SET) can help breast cancer survivors decrease distress and influence cortisol levels. Although telomere length (TL) has been associated with breast cancer prognosis, the impact of these two interventions on TL has not been studied to date. METHODS: The objective of the current study was to compare the effects of MBCR and SET with a minimal intervention control condition (a 1-day stress management seminar) on TL in distressed breast cancer survivors in a randomized controlled trial. MBCR focused on training in mindfulness meditation and gentle Hatha yoga whereas SET focused on emotional expression and group support. The primary outcome measure was relative TL, the telomere/single-copy gene ratio, assessed before and after each intervention. Secondary outcomes were self-reported mood and stress symptoms. RESULTS: Eighty-eight distressed breast cancer survivors with a diagnosis of stage I to III cancer (using the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system) who had completed treatment at least 3 months prior participated. Using analyses of covariance on a per-protocol sample, there were no differences noted between the MBCR and SET groups with regard to the telomere/single-copy gene ratio, but a trend effect was observed between the combined intervention group and controls (F [1,84], 3.82; P 5 .054; h 2 5 .043); TL in the intervention group was maintained whereas it was found to decrease for control participants. There were no associations noted between changes in TL and changes in mood or stress scores over time. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial interventions providing stress reduction and emotional support resulted in trends toward TL maintenance in distressed breast cancer survivors, compared with decreases in usual care. Cancer 2015;121:476-84.

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Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators

Cited by 363 publications

References 79 publications

Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services

Stress exposure in intrauterine life is associated with shorter telomere length in young adulthood

Mindfulness‐based cancer recovery and supportive‐expressive therapy maintain telomere length relative to controls in distressed breast cancer survivors

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