Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 647,000 Americans die of heart disease each year. For perspective, that’s one death every 37 seconds or 1 in every 4 deaths. As current and emerging research continues to investigate stress as a risk factor for heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends stress management for general well-being.
A recent analysis published in The American Journal of Cardiology observed a relationship between practicing meditation and lower cholesterol. Researchers examined data from 61,267 subjects that had participated in 2012 and 2017 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS), of which 5,851 (9.6%) practiced some form of meditation. The analyses were adjusted for variables among subjects with preexisting conditions such as those with high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and coronary artery disease, as well as other factors.