Transcendental Meditation involves sitting comfortably and closing the eyes for 20 minutes, twice a day, to achieve a quality of rest in the mind and body. A new study suggests the technique stimulates genes that produce telomerase – an enzyme linked with reduced blood pressure and mortality.

Share on Pinterest The new study demonstrates how Transcendental Meditation has increased telomerase gene expression in people with high blood pressure.

The new study is published in the journal PLOS One.

Previous studies have reported benefits linked to meditation; Medical News Today recently covered a study that suggested mindfulness meditation reduces pain.

And another study published earlier this year suggested meditation can reduce brain aging.

The researchers from this latest study – led by Dr. Robert Schneider, director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, IA – say other research into Transcendental Meditation (TM) has been linked the practice to lower rates of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and death.

According to the team, stress, lifestyle and telomere dysfunction contribute to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Telomeres are stretches of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that protect our genetic data.

They have often been compared to the plastic tips on shoelaces, protecting chromosome ends from fraying, which would destroy our genetic information. Shortening of telomeres has been linked with aging, cancer and a higher risk of death.

Telomerase, meanwhile, is an enzyme made of protein and RNA units that elongates chromosomes by adding sequences to the ends.