The monks had meditated at least two hours a day for three to 30 years.
Regular deep meditation, practiced over years, can improve the gut microbiome, increasing the proportion of “good” microorganisms and thereby helping to reduce the risks of anxiety, depression, heart disease and other health problems, according to new Chinese scientific research to 37 monks of Tibetan Buddhism.
The researchers, led by Dr. Jinghong Chen of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, who published in the journal General Psychiatry, analyzed blood and stool samples from the monks of three Buddhist temples, as well as for reasons comparison of 19 non-monk neighbors (the control group).
The monks had meditated at least two hours a day for three to 30 years.
They found that the gut microbes in Buddhist monks differed significantly – both in variety and number – from those of non-monks and belonged to microbial groups that have previously been associated with lower risk to physical (particularly cardiovascular) and mental health .
The bacteria Bacteroidetes (29% vs. 4% in the control group) and Prevotella (42% vs. 6%), as well as Megamonas and Faecalibacterium, were particularly increased in the meditators. Collectively these bacteria have been linked to the mitigation of mental illness, as they are thought to have a protective anti-inflammatory effect, while also favoring metabolism.
Previous research has shown that the gut microbiome can influence a person’s mood and behavior through the so-called gut-brain axis, which includes immune system responses, hormone production and regulation, stress response, and the vagus nerve , a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system.
There is an ever-increasing body of scientific studies highlighting various health benefits of meditation, such as against depression, anxiety, substance abuse and addiction, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, chronic pain, and more. Contributing to this, new research suggests that meditation can change the microbiome for the better, which in turn has positive effects on the body more broadly.
The researchers said that, based on their findings, further research into the role of meditation in the prevention or treatment of psychosomatic disorders is warranted. As they reported, “the results of the study show that long-term deep meditation can have a beneficial effect on the gut microbiome, helping the body to maintain an optimal state of health.”
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