Meditation has been found to improve mood and well-being. According to scientists, the practice may also increase levels of good bacteria in the gut and provide a range of mental and physical health benefits.
MEDITATION PLAYS A POSITIVE ROLE IN MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
According to an article in the UK's Daily Mail, Chinese researchers evaluated the gut microbiomes and blood samples of Tibetan monks and compared them to those of locals who followed a similar diet but didn't meditate.
The team said the findings showed that meditation played a positive role in gut health and mental and physical health by improving the gut's health.
Studies have shown that the gut microbiome - the trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, in the gut - is linked to mood and health through the gut-brain axis.
Meditation is an internal mental exercise that has been shown to improve physical and mental health. It involves sitting quietly and focusing on the sensation of breathing, and returning attention to that point when the mind starts to wander.
Researchers said Tibetan Buddhist meditation trained the mind to allow the body to self-regulate to enhance well-being and provide insight into the true nature of all phenomena.
However, researchers at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine said it remained unclear whether meditation alone affected the gut microbiome.
PRIESTS MEDITATED TWO HOURS A DAY FOR 30 YEARS
Both groups were matched in terms of age, blood pressure, heart rate, and diet. Rice, bread, noodles, vegetables, and meat were the staple foods consumed by both groups.
None of them had taken pills in the previous three months that could change the volume and diversity of gut microbes, such as antibiotics, probiotics, or antifungal drugs.
The results published in the General Psychiatry journal showed that the monks had richer microbiomes, better mental health, and healthier hearts. To find out, they analyzed stool and blood samples from 37 Tibetan Buddhist monks from three temples and compared them with 19 residents in neighboring areas.
The monks meditated for at least two hours a day for three to 30 years.
The researchers said that two common bacterial species, bacteroidetes and firmicutes, were dominant in both groups, as expected.
However, bacteroidetes, which have been associated with a lower risk of anxiety in previous studies, were significantly enriched in the monks' stool samples. In addition, the monks had abundant amounts of the Prevotella bacterium and high levels of Megamonas and Faecalibacterium - bacterial species associated with better mental health.
The team led by Dr. Ying Sun said that these bacteria are collectively associated with better mental health than previous research has shown.
LOWER RISK OF HEART DISEASE
The group investigated the physical processes that could be behind this. The results suggested that molecules in the bacteria triggered anti-inflammatory and metabolism-boosting bodily mechanisms.
Meanwhile, blood sample analysis showed that cholesterol and apolipoprotein B protein levels, which can serve as markers of the risk of heart disease, were lower in the monks than in the other group.
The researchers noted that their study was small and observational, so they could not reach definitive conclusions, and all participants were male.
It was also noted that the actual ratios of mental and physical health conditions among the participants were not examined. However, the researchers said that the findings were strong enough to require further study of the connection between meditation and health.
DEEP MEDITATION MAY HAVE A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON GUT MICROBIOTA
The team added, "These results suggest that long-term deep meditation may have a beneficial effect on gut microbiota and may help the body maintain optimal health status."