Home News Stress News Meditation, Support Groups Shown to Impact Cell Biology in Cancer Survivors By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 4, 2014

Canadian researchers say they have proof that practicing mindfulness meditation or being involved in a support group has a positive physical impact at the cellular level in breast cancer survivors.

Investigators from the Alberta Health Services Tom Baker Cancer Centre discovered that telomeres protein complexes at the end of chromosomes maintain their length in breast cancer survivors who practice meditation or are involved in support groups.

The finding is in contrast to what was demonstrated in a comparison group (without intervention) where the telomeres shortened.

Although the disease-regulating properties of telomeres arent fully understood, shortened telomeres are associated with several disease states, as well as cell aging. Longer telomeres are thought to be protective against disease.

We already know that psychosocial interventions like mindfulness meditation will help you feel better mentally, but now for the first time we have evidence that they can also influence key aspects of your biology, says Dr. Linda E. Carlson, Ph.D., principal investigator and director of research.

It was surprising that we could see any difference in telomere length at all over the three-month period studied, Carlson said.

Further research is needed to better quantify these potential health benefits, but this is an exciting discovery that provides encouraging news.

The study has been published online in the journal Cancer.

Investigators followed a total of 88 breast cancer survivors who had completed their treatments for at least three months. The average age was 55 and most participants had ended treatment two years prior. To be eligible, they also had to be experiencing significant levels of emotional distress.

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Meditation, Support Groups Shown to Impact Cell Biology in Cancer Survivors