Quest to Analyze One Thousand Humans Meditating
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Advanced multi-component meditation practice.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Angina, Stable, Anxiety, Asthma. Basic parameters: from 21 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Effects Of Meditation On The Gut Microbiome And Human Health and Disease
Overview
This study will be focused on assessing the molecular, physiological, and emotional correlates of an intensive meditation experience in the context of a retreat setting in a large 2000 plus-person cohort comprised of healthy and clinical populations.
Detailed description
Meditation and other mind-body interventions (MBIs) have been shown to have a range of health benefits, including an improved stress response, a reduction in inflammatory processes, and an enhanced innate immune response. While several studies on MBIs have been carried out to assess metabolomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, or physiological outcomes, comprehensive studies including all of these components have not been reported. In addition, most studies have been small, comprised of less than 100 research subjects.
One particular area of meditation research that remains largely unexplored is the gut. A bi-directional communication occurs between the gut and the brain, thus, the gut microbiota can influence behavior, resulting in psychosocial stress and negatively impacting the microbiome. One would predict, then, that meditation-based reductions in stress would have positive effects on gut microbial makeup. Importantly, diseased states are characterized by specific gut microbiome profiles, thus, one can use the microbiome to assay for meditation-induced changes in these states.
In this study, a comprehensive multi-omic analysis will be carried out to determine the effect of an immersive 7-day meditation experience in a retreat setting in a large 2000+ person cohort. Metagenomic analysis will be performed on the gut microbiome, including healthy and clinical populations, to assess disease-specific improvements (Phase 1). In addition, Garmin wearable technology will be used to collect biometric health data, including heart rate, sleep, stress, and activity, for up to 10 months after the meditation retreat (Phase 1). In Phase 2 of this study, the biological analyses will be expanded to include blood and urine. Taken together, these data will be coupled with self-report surveys of physical and emotional health and integrated into a machine-learning platform to assess microbiome shifts tied with epigenetics, proteomics, metabolomics, transformational language, and improvements in health.
The advanced week-long meditation retreat will include approximately 25 hours of instruction and 35 hours of meditation. The meditations will include elements of focused attention, non-dual awareness, and loving kindness compassion techniques. While these meditations are unique to this meditation teacher, they are centered around Kundalini and Vipassana techniques. The meditations will be carried out seated, standing, lying down, and walking. The retreat setting allows for controlling many variables, including sleep schedule, meditation schedule, and diet.
Interventions
- Behavioral Advanced multi-component meditation practice
The study intervention is a multi-component advanced guided meditation practice that incorporates elements of focused attention, non-dual, and loving kindness and compassion meditation techniques as well as breathwork components. The practice includes sitting, lying down, standing, and walking components and is carried out at 7-day advanced meditation retreats lead by Joe Dispenza, D.C. These retreats include lecture-based instruction and up to 35 hours of meditation practice.
Primary outcome measures
- Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on Heart Rate Variability in a Global Population [Time frame: 4 years]
- Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on the Gut Microbiome and Metabolites in a Global Population. [Time frame: 4 years]
- Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on the Multi-omic Expression of Genes, Proteins, and Metabolites in the Blood in a Global Population [Time frame: 4 years]
- Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on Physical and Emotional Health outcomes in a global population. [Time frame: 4 years]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Assess the Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on Physical and Emotional Health for Multiple Disease States [Time frame: 4 years]
- Assess the Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on the Gut Microbiome and Metabolites for Multiple Disease States [Time frame: 4 years]
- Assess the Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on the Differential Expression of Genes, Proteins, and Metabolites in Blood for Multiple Disease States [Time frame: 4 years]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Must be at 21 years of age or older
- Must speak English
- Must be a registered attendee of the advanced 7-Day meditation retreat
- Must be willing to wear a Garmin device for the entire retreat
- Must complete the research consent to participate in the study
- Must be willing to complete self-report surveys for physical and emotional well-being
Exclusion criteria
- Younger than 21 years of age
- Non-English speaking
- Not a registered attendee of the advanced 7-Day meditation retreat
- Not willing to wear a Garmin device for the entire meditation retreat
- Did not complete the research consent
- Not willing or able to complete all self-report surveys
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- VitaMed Research, LLC — Palm Desert
Publications
- Chiesa A, Serretti A. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: a review and meta-analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 May;15(5):593-600. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0495. PMID 19432513
- Buric I, Farias M, Jong J, Mee C, Brazil IA. What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices. Front Immunol. 2017 Jun 16;8:670. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00670. eCollection 2017. PMID 28670311
- Muehsam D, Lutgendorf S, Mills PJ, Rickhi B, Chevalier G, Bat N, Chopra D, Gurfein B. The embodied mind: A review on functional genomic and neurological correlates of mind-body therapies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2017 Feb;73:165-181. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.027. Epub 2016 Dec 23. PMID 28017838
- Kox M, van Eijk LT, Zwaag J, van den Wildenberg J, Sweep FC, van der Hoeven JG, Pickkers P. Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 May 20;111(20):7379-84. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1322174111. Epub 2014 May 5. PMID 24799686
- Chandran V, Bermudez ML, Koka M, Chandran B, Pawale D, Vishnubhotla R, Alankar S, Maturi R, Subramaniam B, Sadhasivam S. Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Dec 21;118(51):e2110455118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2110455118. PMID 34907015
- Bhasin MK, Dusek JA, Chang BH, Joseph MG, Denninger JW, Fricchione GL, Benson H, Libermann TA. Relaxation response induces temporal transcriptome changes in energy metabolism, insulin secretion and inflammatory pathways. PLoS One. 2013 May 1;8(5):e62817. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062817. Print 2013. PMID 23650531
- Antoni MH, Lutgendorf SK, Blomberg B, Carver CS, Lechner S, Diaz A, Stagl J, Arevalo JM, Cole SW. Cognitive-behavioral stress management reverses anxiety-related leukocyte transcriptional dynamics. Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Feb 15;71(4):366-72. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.10.007. Epub 2011 Nov 16. PMID 22088795
- Black DS, Cole SW, Irwin MR, Breen E, St Cyr NM, Nazarian N, Khalsa DS, Lavretsky H. Yogic meditation reverses NF-kappaB and IRF-related transcriptome dynamics in leukocytes of family dementia caregivers in a randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2013 Mar;38(3):348-55. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.06.011. Epub 2012 Jul 15. PMID 22795617
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06583395 · 20211477A