Study on Tibetan monks finds meditation significantly improves gut health

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers visited far-flung Tibetan Buddhist temples and studied the gut health of several monks to analyse if meditation had any impact on their gut health.

Meditation is yet another tradition that ancient India introduced to the world thousands of years ago and has withstood the tests of time and science internationally. While there have been studies on the impact of meditation on the overall mental and physical health of humans, here is more in a recent finding.

In a first of its kind study, researchers visited far flung Tibetan Buddhist temples and studied the gut health of several monks there to analyse if meditation had any impact on their digestive system. The study found that long term meditation. The study of 37 Tibetan Buddhist monks suggests that long-term, deep meditation could positively affect the gut microbiome, a fact that has been known to Ayurveda for centuries.

Meditation & gut: What we knew so far

Meditation as a practice has stood the test of time with its many popular and established positive effects on the human mind. There have been enough researches and studies that prove the impact of this ancient Indian practice to combat anxiety, depression, and improve attention, mood, emotional regulation and even some health conditions.

Gut is often called 'the second brain' as this extensive network uses the same chemicals and cells as the brain to help us digest and to alert the brain when something is amiss. There has already been a lot of talk around the gut-brain axis and how this network influences metabolism, mood and inflammation.

Monks on hours of meditation

With an established relationship between gut and brain, the researchers set out to explore the potential influences between meditation and gut health and chose these isolated monks who spend hours meditating every day.

Now, the new study, led by Dr. Jinghong Chen at the Shanghai Mental Health Centre, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, suggests meditation might alter the gut bacteria that are present in the intestinal tract and responsible for a better digestive system.

Thirty-seven Buddhist monks from three remote temples in Tibet were recruited to supply fecal samples for microbiome analysis. Each participant meditated for an average of two hours each day, for up to 30 years.

To isolate any microbiome differences that could be directly related to meditation, the researchers collected microbiome samples from a control group consisting of residents neighbouring the temples. After eliminating those taking antibiotics or probiotics, and matching their diet, age and health with the monks, the researchers found 19 neighbouring residents for the control group.

"We found that several bacterial species differed significantly between the meditation and control groups," the researchers reported in the new study. "Bacteria enriched in the meditation group at the genus level had a positive effect on human physical and mental health. This altered intestinal microbiota composition could reduce the risk of anxiety and depression and improve immune function in the body."

Big findings but not enough yet

The findings of the study are fascinating for the researchers. They found two bacterial species, Prevotella and Bacteroides, which were most significantly present in the meditation group. Interestingly, these two species are also associated with positive mental health and low rates of depression and anxiety.

Although the findings are deeply fascinating, the researchers do indicate they need to be interpreted with caution. The cohort of subjects is incredibly small, and while the researchers did try to match the control group as closely as possible to the monks the findings cannot directly conclude the microbiome differences detected are solely caused by meditation.

"These results suggest that long-term deep meditation may have a beneficial effect on gut microbiota, enabling the body to maintain an optimal state of health," the researchers concluded. "This study provides new clues regarding the role of long-term deep meditation in regulating human intestinal flora, which may play a positive role in psychosomatic conditions and well-being."