A short Mindfulness practice Can Improve biomarkers of stress and inflammation

Extensive evidence in the literature demonstrates that Mindfulness practice can reduce psychological symptomatology and supports the notion that Mindfulness-based programs may be beneficial for individuals coping with a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical problems. However, concerns remain about the subjectivity of these self-reports which may not reflect bodily states in a valid or reliable manner. Therefore, Dr Concetta Gardi and her team conducted a study to assess the effect of an intensive period of Mindfulness practice on some biological mediators of stress and inflammation during a 3-day residential retreat.

In a randomized cohort study, the researchers included 95 healthy individuals and assigned them to a Mindfulness retreat arm or an active control arm. They assessed the salivary cortisol levels and a panel of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines before (t0) and after (t1) the intervention. They assessed the psychometric measures on stress, anxiety and awareness using PSS, STAI-Y and MAAS questionnaires, respectively.

Key findings of the study:

• Upon analyzing the within-group differences, the researchers observed a statistically significant decrease in perceived stress (β = − 8.85) and anxiety scores (β = − 12.39), while awareness increased (β = 15.26) between t0 to t1 in retreat participants.
• In the mindfulness intervention group, they found a significant reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 (β = − 0.94) and IL-8 (β = − 176.40), and an increase in anti-inflammatory IL-10 (β = 0.89) levels at the end of the retreat.
• At t1, they noted a highly significant correlation between cortisol levels and both anxiety (r = 0.56) and perceived stress (r = 0.92) scores.

The authors concluded, "Mindfulness retreat participants showed a significant reduction in perceived stress and anxiety levels, as well as an improved balance of some key mediators of inflammatory states."

They further added, "Our data provide evidence that a mindfulness retreat may be effective in improving physical and mental health. Future studies with larger numbers of subjects and follow-up periods may examine mindfulness practice as a non-pharmacological alternative to promote stress reduction and overall health and wellbeing."

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105579