{"id":5112,"date":"2023-06-29T01:17:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T18:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5112"},"modified":"2023-06-29T01:17:56","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T18:17:56","slug":"meditation-and-gut-health-is-there-a-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5112","title":{"rendered":"Meditation and Gut Health: Is There a Connection?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">R<\/span>esearchers recently flew the fecal samples of 37 Buddhists from monasteries high in the Tibetan mountains to a lab in Shanghai. The purpose for this high-altitude journey? To see how the composition of the monks\u2019 samples\u2014markers of their gut health\u2014differed from that of their neighbors.<\/p>\n<p>The main lifestyle difference the researchers were interested in was the fact that these monks meditated for over two hours a day. They wondered if meditation might have an impact on the microbiome (which is the types and amounts of bacteria found in the gut, as analyzed from a person\u2019s stool).<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gpsych.bmj.com\/content\/36\/1\/e100893.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/gpsych.bmj.com\/content\/36\/1\/e100893.abstract\">resulting study<\/a>, published in the British Medical Journal\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gpsych.bmj.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/gpsych.bmj.com\/\"><em>General Psychiatry<\/em><\/a>, found that the monks had higher quantities of certain bacteria that are associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular disease. The exciting findings caught the attention of outlets like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/2023\/jan\/17\/meditation-could-have-positive-impact-on-gut-overall-health-microbiome\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/2023\/jan\/17\/meditation-could-have-positive-impact-on-gut-overall-health-microbiome\"><em>The Guardian<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health-news\/gut-health-how-deep-meditation-can-improve-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health-news\/gut-health-how-deep-meditation-can-improve-it\">Healthline<\/a>, and others. So, does the study show that meditation is good for the gut, and subsequently good for your overall health?<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, it\u2019s not so clear cut.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not sure how much I would really take home from that study,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uclahealth.org\/providers\/emeran-mayer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.uclahealth.org\/providers\/emeran-mayer\">Emeran Mayer, MD<\/a>, a gastroenterologist, UCLA medical school professor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seedhealth.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.seedhealth.com\/\">Seed Health<\/a>\u00a0board member, and the author of the book\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMind-Gut-Connection-Conversation-Impacts-Choices%2Fdp%2F0062376551%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx1064-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fmeditation-and-gut-health%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fmeditation-and-gut-health%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Mind-Gut-Connection-Conversation-Impacts-Choices\/dp\/0062376551\">The Mind-Gut Connection<\/a><\/em>, says. \u201cThere\u2019s more limitations than positives.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/meditation-and-gut-health\/\" current-title=\"Could There Be a Link Between Meditation and Gut Health? It\u2019s Complicated\" current-image=\"meditation-and-gut-health-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2022-12-28\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/meditation-and-gut-health\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/meditation-and-gut-health\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/meditation-and-gut-health\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Dr. Mayer says the technical methods the researchers used to analyze the samples were outdated. The study size as a whole was small, and the control group (just 19 people) was not robust enough to draw conclusions of difference from. He&#8217;s skeptical that samples could maintain their integrity even in a refrigerated box for a trip down a mountain and on a plane; most studies, he says, require very controlled sample collection that happens in a lab. And he also points out that diet and the sedentary lifestyle of monks was not taken into account.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking with <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/health\/a42555858\/deep-meditation-gut-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.com\/health\/a42555858\/deep-meditation-gut-health\/\">Prevention<\/a><\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cabm.rutgers.edu\/person\/martin-j-blaser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/cabm.rutgers.edu\/person\/martin-j-blaser\">Martin J. Blaser, MD,<\/a> professor and Henry Rutgers chair of the human microbiome at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, thought the study was \u201cwell conducted,\u201d but didn\u2019t think meditation could be pinpointed as the defining factor that accounted for potential differences in the microbiomes of the monks versus the control group.<\/p>\n<p>So, essentially, even if the findings sound exciting, experts aren\u2019t confident that <em>this<\/em> is the study for meditation x gut health enthusiasts to hang their hats on.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s the big deal with &#8220;gut health&#8221; anyway?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cGut health\u201d has been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/importance-of-gut-health\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/importance-of-gut-health\/\">an exciting concept (and buzzword<\/a>) for years, with proponents claiming that the population of diverse, robust bacteria inside of us can influence everything from chronic disease to mental health. Our stomachs produce a lot of the substances we need to fight disease, manage inflammation, and regulate our mood (for example, most of the body\u2019s serotonin comes from the gut). So the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gut-brain-connection\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gut-brain-connection\/\">\u201cmind-gut axis\u201d<\/a>\u00a0is an exploding field for research.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt turns out that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5222858\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5222858\/\">microorganisms can actually counteract the harmful effects<\/a>\u00a0of food, drugs, hormones in our bodies, either introduced from the outside or produced inside our bodies,&#8221;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doctoriansmith.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/doctoriansmith.com\/\">Ian Smith, MD<\/a>, best-selling author and chief medical advisor for the probiotics brand Jetson,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/importance-of-gut-health\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/importance-of-gut-health\/\">previously told Well+Good<\/a>. &#8220;The sheer number of conditions that have been found to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gut.bmj.com\/content\/67\/9\/1716\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/gut.bmj.com\/content\/67\/9\/1716\">link back to gut health<\/a>\u00a0is in itself an exciting advancement: things like obesity, diabetes, liver diseases, cancer, and even neurodegenerative diseases.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Still, some\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7213601\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7213601\/\">researchers caution<\/a>\u00a0that many of the claims are overblown, and Dr. Mayer gives the caveat that \u201cthe majority of really revolutionary findings in the brain-gut microbiome space has come from animal models,\u201d which he says can\u2019t necessarily be extrapolated to humans. Furthermore, what constitutes a \u201chealthy gut\u201d isn\u2019t so clearly defined, and could vary from person to person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know what a \u2018normal\u2019 microbiome looks like,&#8221;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cedars-sinai.org\/provider\/ali-rezaie-3261477.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cedars-sinai.org\/provider\/ali-rezaie-3261477.html\">Ali Rezaie, MD<\/a>, a gastroenterologist and co-author of\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMicrobiome-Connection-Guide-Fermentation-Eating%2Fdp%2F1572843098%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx7011-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fwhat-is-gut-health%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fwhat-is-gut-health%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMicrobiome-Connection-Guide-Fermentation-Eating%2Fdp%2F1572843098%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx7011-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fwhat-is-gut-health%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fwhat-is-gut-health%2F&amp;event_type=click\">The Microbiome Connection<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-gut-health\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-gut-health\/\">previously told Well+Good<\/a>. &#8220;Your microbiome is unique to you, and there\u2019s no known magic mix of bacteria.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Okay, but <em>could<\/em>\u00a0meditation positively impact your gut microbiome?<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Mayer\u2019s skepticism for the Tibetan monk study in particular does not mean he thinks the theory itself doesn\u2019t hold water. A long-time meditation practitioner (Dr. Mayer and his wife even got married at a Tibetan monastery in Kathmandu), and an expert in studying the connection between the gut, body, and brain, Dr. Mayer says it makes sense that meditation could impact the microbiome in a positive way. That\u2019s all down to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nccih.nih.gov\/health\/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.nccih.nih.gov\/health\/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know\">growing (but still not-definitive) body of research<\/a>\u00a0showing that meditation can possibly reduce stress, and evidence is amassing that stress can wreak havoc on the gut.<\/p>\n<p>When we\u2019re stressed, our sympathetic nervous system gets activated. That activation \u201cchanges the environment in which the microbes live, their habitat,\u201d Dr. Mayer says, including blood flow, contractions, mucus production, and more. Certain neurotransmitters, like norepinephrine, can make their way into the gut, which \u201cmodifies gene expression of the microbes,&#8221; he says. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7213601\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7213601\/\">meta-analysis of studies<\/a>\u00a0found that more research is needed to further understand how stress affects the gut (much of the research has been done on mice), \u201cbut emerging human evidence has begun to corroborate preclinical findings\u201d that stress can impact gut health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf relaxation and stress reduction and meditation decrease sympathetic nervous system tone and reactivity, then I think that will be the most possible explanation for changes in microbiome,\u201d Dr. Mayer says.<\/p>\n<p>Other studies have shown some promise for this hypothesis.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12906-023-03935-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12906-023-03935-8\">One small study<\/a> that looked at meditation practitioners who ate a vegan diet found a higher prevalence of beneficial bacteria versus a control group. A <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29306937\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29306937\/\">meta-analysis of studies<\/a> that looked at topics including stress, the microbiome, epigenetics, and meditation concluded that \u201cduring stress, an altered gut microbial population affects the regulation of neurotransmitters mediated by the microbiome and gut barrier function. Meditation helps regulate the stress response, thereby suppressing chronic inflammation states and maintaining a healthy gut-barrier function.\u201d While other papers suggest that these statements are not so clearly established as scientific fact, the stress-gut connection\u2014and meditation\u2019s ability to modulate it\u2014are not so theoretically far-fetched.<\/p>\n<p>So should you be making like a Buddhist monk and meditating for two hours every day for the sake of your microbiome? There\u2019s probably no need to divest of all your worldly belongings just yet\u2014but don\u2019t ignore the potential power of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/three-minute-meditation\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/three-minute-meditation\/\">meditation practice<\/a> to contribute to your overall health and wellbeing (and subsequently, your gut).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ultimate thing is really to have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/healthy-gut-microbiome\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/healthy-gut-microbiome\/\">microbiome-friendly diet<\/a>, plus the contemplative component, you know, the half hour meditation,\u201d Dr. Mayer says. \u201cA healthy lifestyle should have both.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"outline-earmark relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[20px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers recently flew the fecal samples of 37 Buddhists from monasteries high in the Tibetan mountains to a lab in Shanghai. The purpose for this high-altitude journey? To see how the composition of the monks\u2019 samples\u2014markers of their gut health\u2014differed from that of their neighbors. The main lifestyle difference the researchers were interested in was &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}