Meditation's Cellular Boost: How Meditation Keeps our DNA Healthy
Introduction:
Meditation is an ancient practice known for promoting a sense of calmness, heightened awareness, and overall physical well-being. It has stood the test of time in providing various benefits, from stress reduction to an enhanced sense of presence and happiness. Practitioners of meditation such as monks and nuns have even demonstrated longer lifespans compared to the general population. While the benefits of meditation to one’s psychological wellbeing are well-established, recent scientific exploration has taken the practice under the microscope, revealing its impact on our biology even at the cellular level.
Meditation and Telomere Length:
A recent area of interest in meditation research is its potential to lengthen telomeres, the protective caps at the end of our DNA strands. Telomeres can be thought of as the plastic caps of shoelaces to stop the tips from fraying. Telomeres naturally shorten as we age but can be accelerated in individuals who are experiencing stressful life circumstances. When telomeres become too short, cell division is compromised, much like the tip of the shoelace that's too unravelled to tie the shoelace anymore. However, the good news is that telomeres are dynamic and can be lengthened again. Of most interest, is that meditation appears to be a leading activity for lengthening telomeres alongside traditional approaches like diet and exercise.
Many scientists have started to investigate the link between meditation and telomere length. To do so, scientists have commonly chosen two types of study designs. The first design is to look at the telomere lengths between people who are either experienced meditators, novice meditators, or those that do not meditate. The second study design is to take a large group of people who have not meditated yet and check their telomere length. Then, they would be either be placed into group A where they begin to meditate daily/weekly, or to group B where they change nothing about their current lifestyle. Scientists would follow up multiple times on both groups to check on the length of their telomeres. The combined findings from 11 studies, involving 861 participants, found a big difference in telomere length between those who meditate and those who do not. The impact of meditation on telomere length is gradual, much like how stress relief doesn't happen instantly after the first meditation session. For example, four weeks of mediation did not improve telomere length, but eight weeks of daily meditation did. Furthermore, the benefits of meditation on telomere length were found in individuals that had >3000 hours of meditation compared to those who were just at the begging on their meditation journey (< 40 hours).
But how does meditation achieve this?
Meditation is suggested to promote beneficial psychological health and reduce the negative impacts of stress on the body. Practitioners of meditation demonstrate a quicker return to an inner state of harmony after stressful events, preventing the large release of stress hormones like cortisol, helping reduce inflammation, and keeping the immune system functioning. Stressful events are inevitable, and having the ability to control your emotions during such experiences is very powerful.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, meditation shows promise in supporting telomere length, a factor linked to greater overall health. Particularly for individuals facing stressful circumstances which can accelerate telomere shortening, meditation can be a valuable tool, helping to reverse the damage. As we continue to unravel the wonderful relationship between meditation and cellular health, the practice holds exciting prospects for enhancing well-being and promoting longevity.
Scientific Studies:
1. Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., & Keng, S. L. (2020). Meditation and telomere length: a meta-analysis. Psychology & Health, 35(8), 901-915.
2. Dasanayaka, N. N., Sirisena, N. D., & Samaranayake, N. (2021). The effects of meditation on length of telomeres in healthy individuals: A systematic review. Systematic Reviews, 10(1), 1-6.
3. Bossert, L., Arzberger, K., Dorok, F., Kern, J., Stickler, C., Wunderlich, M., & Tran, U. S. (2023). The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Telomere Length and Telomerase Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Mindfulness, 14(3), 495-509.