Two new studies, conducted at Charles Drew University in Los Angeles and University of Hawaii in Kohala recruited African Americans and Native Hawaiians, 55 years and older, who were at risk for cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomly allocated to the Transcendental Meditation program or health education control group, and assessed with a standard test for depression - the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) inventory over 9-12 months.

Participants in both studies who practiced the Transcendental Meditation program showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms compared to health education controls. The largest decreases were found in those participants who had indications of clinically significant depression, with those practicing Transcendental Meditation showing an average reduction in depressive symptoms of 48%.

Over 18 million men and women suffer from depression in the United States with o er 20% of older Americans suffering from some form of depression. Depression is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, with even a moderate level of depressive symptoms associated with increased cardiac events.

The research presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Seattle, Washington April 9th, 2010.

Courtesy of Medical News Today

More research reports on meditation

First Publishd in April 2010

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