MUM faculty member and trustee Carolyn King Ph.D.
The group practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique showed a 29% greater increase in HDL (good) cholesterol
The group practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique showed a 20% greater drop in triglycerides
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African American women greatly improved their condition of dyslipidemia through the practice of the Transcendental Meditation® technique, according to a new study conducted by researchers at MUM’s Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and Howard University Hospital and College of Medicine in Washington, DC.
Dyslipidemia is the most common complication of diabetes, characterized by low HDL (good) cholesterol and high triglyceride levels, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The 12-month study involved 49 diabetic African American women, aged between 55 and 85 years, who were randomly allocated to a Transcendental Meditation program group or to a health-education group focusing on diet and exercise. The Transcendental Meditation group showed a 29% greater increase in HDL (good) cholesterol and a 20% greater drop in triglycerides than subjects in the diet and exercise group at the end of the trial period.
Carolyn King, Ph.D., lead author of the study, recently presented the research at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Philadelphia.
“Stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation program is both feasible and effective in reducing diabetic dyslipidemia in African American woman and it can be an important part of a lifestyle modification program for improving diabetic dyslipidemia and preventing CVD,” said Dr. King, professor of health and physiology at Maharishi University of Management.
About twice as many African American women suffer from CVD and diabetes as white women, and psychosocial stress contributes to the risk of diabetes and diabetes complications especially CVD. Combining the Transcendental Meditation technique with changes to diet and exercise may produce an even greater benefit.
Other coauthors include Robert Schneider, M.D., Maxwell Rainforth, Ph.D., Ken Walton, Ph.D., Otelio Randall, M.D., John Salerno, Ph.D., Sanford Nidich, Ed.D., Charlie Harris, Ph.D., Shichen Xu, M.D., and Gregory Strayhorn, M.D.
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