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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Improves Glucose Control

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Improves Glucose Control

Mindfulness-based stress reduction decreased fasting glucose levels and showed improvement in quality of life parameters in overweight women as per research done at  the Penn State College of Medicine and presented  at  the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego.

 

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD best selling author of many books on the subject,   leads a program at the U. of Massachusetts Medical School called MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction).  This method of stress reduction teaches participants to have greater awareness of one’s thoughts and  feelings, and bodily sensations in the present moment at all times.

In the study 86 overweight or obese women  received 8 weeks of either MBSR training or a health counseling program called HEC (health education control).  The study participants had  fasting blood tests done and filled out stress/ lifestyle surveys  at the beginning of the study and again at 8 and 16 weeks.

The Mindfulness based stress reduction study group’s blood tests showed an improvement in blood glucose levels compared to the HEC ( health education control) group. some of the parameters studied like sleep difficulties , depression, and anxiety  improved in both groups, however fasting glucose levels  dropped significantly in the MBSR group, but not in the HEC group

Nazia Raja-Khan, MD researcher and Professor of Ob-Gyn of the Hershey Medical Center  says, “In overweight and obese women, stress may contribute to increased diabetes and cardiovascular disease. “MBSR significantly reduces fasting glucose and improves quality of life… Increased mindfulness and reduced stress may lead to physiological changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and/or sympathetic nervous system that result in lower glucose levels.”

“Given the increasing epidemics of obesity and diabetes, this study is particularly relevant to the general public, as it demonstrates that stress management, specifically with mindfulness-based interventions such as MBSR, may be beneficial for reducing perceived stress and blood glucose and improving quality of life in overweight or obese women,” said Raja-Khan. “This research supports the integration of mindfulness-based interventions with conventional medical approaches to obesity and diabetes prevention and treatment.”

The study was funded by the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

“For more of the latest in nutritional/ lifestyle research check all of my blog posts at www.drsobo.com/blog

For the best care in Integrative Medicine call Henry C. Sobo, M.D., at 203-348-8805 or write us at [email protected]