Meditation is known to have significant effects on mental health, including reducing stress and anxiety. However, meditation can also affect the body and its myriad biological systems as well. In recent decades, research on the mind-body connection — the concept that the brain is able to influence the body in substantive, measurable ways (and vice versa) — has grown considerably. In one well-known experiment in the 1980s, researchers found that Buddhist monks were able to increase their body temperature, even in near-freezing temperatures. Scientists have also probed how meditation affects another important biological system: immunity. The immune system plays an essential role in keeping your body healthy and defended from foreign pathogens. Things like diet and stress can affect your immune system, but evidence also indicates that meditation practice can too.
The Impact of Meditation on Immune Response
A study published in 2021 by researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine found that meditation resulted in a robust immune system response. This study focused on “Inner Engineering” practices, a specific meditation protocol that involves extensive silence, regular meditation, a vegan diet, and a consistent sleep schedule. The study included 106 participants who took part in a eight-day “Inner Engineering” meditation retreat.
Scientists investigated whether meditation affected the immune system through specific validated biomarkers. To do this, they collected blood samples of participants before, during, and after the retreat. The participants’ biological samples indicated a remarkable activation of 220 genes related to immune system activation. Most notably, there was a significant increase in the activity of 68 genes associated with interferon signaling, which plays a critical role in the body’s defense against viruses and cancer.
A review of the evidence so far
This study also found that these immune system enhancements were primarily due to meditation, independent of other factors like diet or sleep. The results suggest that meditation could potentially offer a non-pharmaceutical way to boost immune function.
A separate review published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review in 2022 looked at the evidence of mindfulness-based meditation on immune system biomarkers. The review included 48 previously published randomized controlled trials. Those trials included a total of 4,683 participants. The meta-analysis revealed that meditation consistently led to reductions in inflammation markers, improvements in cell-mediated immunity, and biological aging. Mindfulness-based meditation also appeared to increase CD4+ lymphocyte counts, a marker of immune system response to pathogens
The authors conclude that mindfulness-based meditation interventions could help attenuate inflammation and improve response to infection. However, more research is needed to establish whether these findings are generalizable to a larger population.
A role for meditation in disease treatment?
Meditation appears to have a multifaceted impact on the immune system. The genetic activation observed in the University of Florida study aligns with the broader trends in the scientific literature. Meditation appears to enhance the body’s ability to fight infections and regulate the immune system.
Meditation has the potential to offer a non-invasive, natural way to boost immune function. It therefore has the potential for use as a complementary therapy in treating immune-related conditions. For instance, meditation could be integrated into treatment plans for chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis, where immune regulation is crucial, or as a preventive measure during flu season.
Further randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings and clarify how meditation may aid disease treatment.
Further reading from the Still Sitting blog: Meditation for Sleep and The Health Benefits of Meditation.
A note on our research and sources
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University of Florida study
Meta analysis on meditation and immune system
2016 RCT review of meditation and the immune system