Meditation Could Have Positive Impact on Gut and Overall Health

Practice may help regulate gut microbiome and lower risk of ill health, study of Buddhist monks finds

It is a practice favoured by Lena Dunham, Tom Hanks and Lady Gaga to boost their focus and bring about calmness in an often busy, distracted world.

Now researchers have found evidence that frequent meditation over several years may help alter the human gut – boosting the body’s immune system and reducing the risk of anxiety, depression and heart disease.

In a small study of Buddhist monks, researchers found deep meditation could help regulate the gut microbiome, and lower the risk of physical and mental ill health. The findings feature in the journal General Psychiatry, which is published by the British Medical Journal.

“The microbiota enriched in monks was associated with a reduced risk of anxiety, depression and cardiovascular disease and could enhance immune function,” the researchers wrote. “Overall, these results suggest that meditation plays a positive role in psychosomatic conditions and wellbeing.”