A large genomic study found that the function of 220 genes directly associated with immune response is boosted following an intense meditation session.
The health benefits of meditation are widely known, and include improvement of blood pressure and immune function, stress reduction, and improved concentration. However, little research has been done to unravel the molecular basis of these benefits.
Now, a new genome-based study found that an intensive meditation program led to a boost in the function of 220 genes directly associated with immune response, without increasing inflammatory markers.
The study analysed the co-expression, transcriptional, and protein–protein interaction networks of more than 100 participants, before and after they completed an intensive eight-day meditation program.
According to Dr. Vijayendran Chandran from the College of Medicine and McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida and lead author of the study, their findings show a significant effect of meditation in different aspects of health.
“We identified and characterised the transcriptional program associated with advanced yoga and meditation practices, and we bioinformatically integrated various networks to identify a meditation-specific core network and validate several network predictions,” the authors said in a news release.
“This core network links several immune signaling pathways via a known set of drivers, and we showed that this core transcriptional profile is dysfunctional in multiple sclerosis and severe COVID-19 infection,” the authors said.
The study is among the first to show that the function of the immune system can be altered with non-pharmaceutical interventions like yoga and meditation.
“This suggests that meditation as a behavioural intervention could have important implications for treating various conditions associated with excessive or persistent inflammation with a dampened immune system profile,” they added.