USA: Transcendental Meditation and Blood Pressure Study

Results from a randomized controlled trial showed that transcendental meditation (TM) may be useful for lowering systolic blood pressure (BP) in Black men and women with high-normal BP. However, this intervention was not found to be useful for those with normal BP.

The results of the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, may be apt for reducing health disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related co-morbidities.

Black adults in the US have disproportionately high mortality and morbidity compared to whites. The contributor to these is cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and currently, COVID-19. These conditions are related to social determinants of health and psychosocial stress. Previous studies have shown stress reduction with meditation lowered BP in black adults who fall in the grade I range. However, there is a lack of data for high normal and normal BP.

To fill the knowledge gap described above, Robert H. SCHNEIDER, Institute for Prevention Research, Iowa, USA, and colleagues conducted the RCT to evaluate the effect of stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation technique in Black adults having normal BP and normal BP using international classifications.

The study included a total of 304 Black men and women with high normal (130–139/85–89 mm Hg) and normal BP (120–129/80–84 mm Hg). They were randomized to either TM or health education (HE) groups. The BP was noted at 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 30, and 36 months after baseline. BP changes between TM and HE participants in the high-normal BP and normal-BP groups were compared using linear mixed model analysis. Survival analysis for hypertensive events was conducted. The participants were followed for a median of 19.9 ± 11.1 months.

Study Findings

• TM participants in the high-normal BP group showed significantly lower posttest SBP (-3.33 mm Hg).
• There was no difference in DBP (-0.785 mm Hg) compared to HE participants.
• In the normal BP group, the SBP and DBP were not different between the TM and HE participants.
• The hazard ratio for hypertensive events was 0.52 in the high normal BP group (7 TM vs 13 HE) with no difference in the normal BP group.

"Our results imply that meditation may be a clinically useful lifestyle modification for reducing high blood pressure, CVD, and associated co-morbidities in high-risk Black populations," concluded the researchers.

Reference

The study titled, "Randomized controlled trial of stress reduction with meditation and health education in black men and women with high normal and normal blood pressure," is published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100279