A new study confirms, power of meditation in transforming immunity boosting molecular mechanisms

 Meditation transforms immunity-boosting molecular mechanisms  

Meditation is a practice in which a person uses a technique to remain mindful and develop the focus to reach a peaceful state. But what if meditation could boost your immunity as well! A new study stated by a group of researchers in the USA that there is a molecular link between meditation and human well-being. Intense meditation helps in the activation of the human immune system and positively affects multiple biological processes involved in disease development. The benefits of yoga and meditation are well known in the world. Vijayendran Chandran (Assistant professor of pediatrics and neuroscience, University of Florida) along with his team has discovered the immunity-boosting molecular mechanism in the traditional Indian practice of meditation.

Ten researchers from the medical schools of four US universities and a yoga and meditation center were involved in this. It is the first comprehensive genomic study about how meditation affects the biological processes directly in connection to disease development. “We demonstrate that yoga and contemplative techniques improve immune function without triggering inflammatory signals." The findings show that non-pharmaceutical therapies such as yoga and meditation can have a positive impact on the immune system." Chandran informed DH. The scientists analyzed gene-protein interactions in 106 people who attended a residential meditation retreat at the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences in Tennessee in April 2018, during which they were completely silent for eight days and meditated for more than ten hours per day. 

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They also kept a strict vegan diet and a regular sleep pattern. The researchers collected blood samples from the people who participated in the retreat (5-8 weeks in advance) then later just before and after the retreat session, lastly samples three months later. Following the meditation retreat, various immune-related and other cellular pathways were altered, according to the genomic research. Key immune systems and associated pathways were significantly elevated without activating inflammatory signals. Meditation, on the other hand, reduced the response to oxidative stress, detoxification, and cell cycle regulatory pathways.

'Suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation is one of the main strategies for treating numerous diseases and is thought to be beneficial for cancer prevention. According to him, oxidative stress is crucial in the development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurological diseases, and cancer.

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Meditation increased 220 genes related to immune response, including 68 genes implicated in interferon signaling, according to the team. This included researchers from Indiana University, the University of Louisville, and the University of Pittsburgh. Interferons are proteins that activate immune cells in the body to combat viruses and cancer cells. Simultaneously, they discovered "no significant expression changes" in the inflammatory genes. 'We show that meditation improves immunological function without generating inflammatory signals,' he says. 

When asked if prolonged sleep or inactivity would result in similar changes in the body, Chandran responded, "The increased immune system after the retreat is primarily attributable to meditation, not a diet, sleep patterns, or gender variations." Meditation essentially leverages a coordinated network of basic genes and regulators to unleash a favorable effect on the immune system. The findings were reported earlier this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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