By Stephanie Castillo for Medical Daily
More often than not, you hear “mindfulness” ahead of “meditation,” a practice in which people train to be more aware of their every moment. Mindfulness meditation has been linked to lower emotional and chemical stress levels; the ability to ease depression and anxiety; and reduced arthritis pain, asthma, risk of Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease. But with respect to that last one, just being mindful may be enough to reap heart-healthy benefits.
Loucks and his team asked 382 participants to rate on a six-point scale, ranging from “almost always” to “almost never,” 15 statements from the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), including “I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in the present” and “I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they really grab my attention.” While doing this, participants also took heart-related tests to gauge the aforementioned indicators.
The results? Participants who scored high on the MAAS had an 83 percent greater prevalence of cardiovascular health compared to those who scored lower. There were especially major differences when factoring for body mass index, physical activity, glucose, and smoking. Loucks suggested being more mindful of, and managing, the various cravings that undermine health, from sugary foods to cigarettes, as leading to improved cardiovascular health. Loucks’ next steps are to test whether improving mindfulness can increase cardiovascular health indicators and if the effects are long lasting.