Author: Raja-Khan N1, Agito K1, Shah J1, Stetter CM2, Gustafson TS3, Socolow H1, Kunselman AR2, Reibel DK4, Legro RS5
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
<sup>2</sup>Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
<sup>3</sup>Department of Clinical Nutrition, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
<sup>4</sup>Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
<sup>5</sup>Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
Conference/Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring).
Date published: 2017 Jul 7
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1002/oby.21910. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 204
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and cardiometabolic effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in women with overweight or obesity.
METHODS: Eighty-six women with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 were randomized to 8 weeks of MBSR or health education and followed for 16 weeks. The primary outcome was the Toronto Mindfulness Scale. Secondary outcomes included the Perceived Stress Scale-10, fasting glucose, and blood pressure.
RESULTS: Compared to health education, the MBSR group demonstrated significantly improved mindfulness at 8 weeks (mean change from baseline, 4.5 vs. -1.0; P = 0.03) and significantly decreased perceived stress at 16 weeks (-3.6 vs. -1.3, P = 0.01). In the MBSR group, there were significant reductions in fasting glucose at 8 weeks (-8.9 mg/dL, P = 0.02) and at 16 weeks (-9.3 mg/dL, P = 0.02) compared to baseline. Fasting glucose did not significantly improve in the health education group. There were no significant changes in blood pressure, weight, or insulin resistance in the MBSR group.
CONCLUSIONS: In women with overweight or obesity, MBSR significantly reduces stress and may have beneficial effects on glucose. Future studies demonstrating long-term cardiometabolic benefits of MBSR will be key for establishing MBSR as an effective tool in the management of obesity.
© 2017 The Authors. Obesity published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Obesity Society (TOS).
PMID: 28686006 DOI: 10.1002/oby.21910