(23-01-13) Mindfulness meditation may slow aging

by Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor

(NaturalNews) Meditation techniques centered on being in the present moment
have been used in healing and spiritual practices for thousands of years. In
recent times, scientists have discovered that these ancient meditation
practices have specific, measurable effects on the body -- including, as
Natural News has reported, helping treat physical problems like urinary
incontinence and even producing beneficial changes in the brain.

Now comes a hint that doing what yogis and other meditation proponents have
taught for eons could slow down the aging process. A University of California
at San Francisco (UCSF) study just published in the Association for
Psychological Science journal Clinical Psychological Science found that people
who reported more presence in the moment (having a greater focus and engagement
with their current activities) had longer telomeres, even after adjusting for
current stress in their lives.

Why is this so important? Telomeres are sort of caps at the ends of DNA that
prevent the ends of chromosomes from fusing with nearby chromosomes or
deteriorating. They are biomarkers for aging and are known to get shorter and
shorter when the body undergoes physiological and psychological stressors.
What's more, as earlier research pioneered at UCSF showed, the shorter the
telomeres, the earlier disease and death can be predicted.

For the new research, the scientists studied 239 healthy women ranging between
the ages 50 and 65 to see how many tended to be focused on the present and how
many were inclined to focus on being elsewhere and on things other than the
present. Those with more mind wandering had shorter telomeres. Whether the mind
wandering causes the aging-linked shortening of telomeres or whether the state
of being that focuses on the present actually protects telomeres isn't known
yet. But there's certainly reason to suspect that being mindfully aware of the
present could be the key.

Here's how this relates to meditation: the UCSF researchers pointed out in a
media statement that mindful meditation interventions, which promote attention
on the present with a compassionate attitude of acceptance, are known to
benefit many aspects of health. And previous studies have found mindfulness
mediation is associated with increased activity of an enzyme known as
telomerase, which is responsible for protecting and in some cases, replenishing
telomeres.

According to the new study, the findings support the possibility that a focus
on the present may be part of what promotes health even at the cellular level.
"Our attentional state -- where our thoughts rest at any -- turns out to be a
fascinating window into our well-being. It may be affected by our emotional
state as well as shape our emotional state," Elissa Epel, PhD, associate
professor of psychiatry and lead author on the study, said in the press
statement.

Currently Epel and colleagues are developing a series of classes to promote
more mindful presence, to see if this intervention protects telomere
maintenance or could even lengthen telomeres. If it turns out mediation can
make telomeres longer, it suggests meditation could have an impact on halting
or even reversing aging.

Sources:

http://www.ucsf.edu
http://www.naturalnews.com/031228_meditation_brain.html
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/meditation.html

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In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.