Meditation could boost your immune system
A new study has connected intensive meditation with altered behaviour of over 200 genes tied to immunity, with their findings suggesting that meditation may be beneficial for those with a weakened immune system.
The research, recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), involved analysing blood samples from 106 volunteers who participated in an intensive Samyama meditation retreat. The participants spent eight days in complete silence, followed a strict vegan diet and regular sleep schedule, and meditated for more than ten hours each day.
Several samples were taken from each participant, including one two months before the retreat, another five weeks before, two immediately before and after the retreat, and a final sample three months after it ended.
After analysing the gene expression in the samples, the team found that there were “distinct” alterations in how genes were expressed after participants meditated.
In particular, they found that 220 genes tied to immunity had higher levels of expression without an increase in inflammation.
Sixty-eight of these genes were also tied to signalling proteins called interferons. These proteins help our immune systems to identify viruses and trigger immune cells to fight viral cells, stopping them from multiplying.
“These findings suggest that meditation has an immediate impact on immune cells and genes,” the authors wrote.
They also discovered that there wasn’t an increase in inflammation
Though many studies have found that meditation has a positive impact on our health, this new research investigates what happens inside human cells when we meditate to explain why we experience these positive effects.
By examining the gene expression before and after meditation, the authors suggest that meditation could be helpful for treating conditions characterised by a weakened immunity and persistent inflammation.
“Together, these results make meditation an effective behavioural intervention for treating various conditions associated with a weakened immune system,” they concluded.
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