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Cited by 262Cardiovascular Health and Disease PreventionBlood Pressure and Hypertension StudiesCardiac Health and Mental Health

Effects of Stress Reduction on Carotid Atherosclerosis in Hypertensive African Americans

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Castillo-Richmond, Amparo, Schneider, Robert H., Alexander, Charles N., Cook, Robert, Myers, Hector, Nidich, Sanford, Haney, Chinelo, Rainforth, Maxwell +1 more·2000·Stroke
DOI 10.1161/01.str.31.3.568PMC PMC9341385
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Abstract

Background and Purpose —African Americans suffer disproportionately higher cardiovascular disease mortality rates than do whites. Psychosocial stress influences the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a valid surrogate measure for coronary atherosclerosis, is a predictor of coronary outcomes and stroke, and is associated with psychosocial stress factors. Stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program decreases coronary heart disease risk factors and cardiovascular mortality in African Americans. B-mode ultrasound is useful for the noninvasive evaluation of carotid atherosclerosis. Methods —This randomized controlled clinical trial evaluated the effects of the TM program on carotid IMT in hypertensive African American men and women, aged >20 years, over a 6- to 9-month period. From the initially enrolled 138 volunteers, 60 subjects completed pretest and posttest carotid IMT data. The assigned interventions were either the TM program or a health education group. By use of B-mode ultrasound, mean maximum IMT from 6 carotid segments was used to determine pretest and posttest IMT values. Regression analysis and ANCOVA were performed. Results —Age and pretest IMT were found to be predictors of posttest IMT values and were used as covariates. The TM group showed a significant decrease of −0.098 mm (95% CI −0.198 to 0.003 mm) compared with an increase of 0.054 mm (95% CI −0.05 to 0.158 mm) in the control group ( P =0.038, 2-tailed). Conclusions —Stress reduction with the TM program is associated with reduced carotid atherosclerosis compared with health education in hypertensive African Americans. Further research with this stress-reduction technique is warranted to confirm these preliminary findings.

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  • Two lower quality studies and five well-done studies (13%, including one at a trend level) reported higher BP in the more R/S or with religious fasting.

    “Two lower quality studies [405, 406] and five well-done studies [407–411] (13%, including one at a trend level), however, reported higher BP in the more R/S or with religious fasting.”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [408]

    The Results report reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in both the Transcendental Meditation and health-education groups. The Discussion likewise says blood pressure declined within each group; it does not report higher blood pressure with greater religiosity, spirituality, or religious fasting. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Alexander CN, Barnes VA, Schneider RH, Langer EJ, Newman RI, Chandler HM, Davies JL, Rainforth M. A randomized controlled trial of stress reduction on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the elderly: results of 8 and 15 year follow-ups. Circulation. 1996;93:629. Abstract.
  2. O'Leary DH, Polak JF, Wolfson SK, Bond MG, Bommer W, Sheth S, Psaty BM, Sharret AR, Manolio TA. Use of sonography to evaluate carotid ath- erosclerosis in the elderly: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Stroke. 1991; 22:1155-1163.
  3. Howard G, Sharrett R, Heiss G, Evans G, Chambless L, Riley W, Burke G. Carotid artery intima-media thickness distribution in general populations as evaluated by B-mode ultrasound. Stroke. 1993;24:1297-1304.
  4. Nader T. Human Physiology-Expression of Veda and the Vedic Literature. Vlodrop, Holland: Maharishi University Press; 1995.
  5. Schneider RH, Alexander CN, Wallace RK. In search of an optimal behavioral treatment for hypertension: a review and focus on Transcendental Meditation. In: Johnson EH, Gentry WD, Julius S, eds. Personality, Elevated Blood Pressure, and Essential Hypertension. Washington DC: Hemisphere Publishing Corp; 1992:291-312.

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Authors
Castillo-Richmond, A., Schneider, R. H., Alexander, C. N., Cook, R., Myers, H., Nidich, S., Haney, C., Rainforth, M., & Salerno, J.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • From the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention (A.C.-R., R.H.S., C.N.A., S.N., M.R., J.S.), Maharishi University of Management, College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine, Fairfield, Iowa; the Department of Radiology (R.C.) and Biobehavioral Research Center (H.M., C.H.), Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, Calif; and the Department of Psychology (H.M.), University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
ORCID
Venue
Stroke
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2000-03
Volume
31
Issue
3
Pages
568-573
ISSN
  • 0039-2499 (ISSN-L)
  • 1524-4628
DOI
10.1161/01.str.31.3.568
PMC
PMC9341385
OpenAlex
W2136404227
Cited by
262
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 20
FWCI
9.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Stroke (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL-51519, HL-51519-S2, R01HL051519)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Health and Disease Prevention
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Health and Mental Health
Keywords
stress reduction, transcendental meditation, carotid atherosclerosis, carotid intima-media thickness, hypertension, African Americans, psychosocial stress, health education, cardiovascular risk
MeSH terms
Black or African American, Carotid Artery Diseases, Female, Health Education, Humans, Hypertension, Male, Stress, Psychological, Ultrasonography, Disease Progression, Meditation, Black People

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