Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Biomarkers and Low-Grade Inflammation in Patients With Psychiatric Disorders: A Meta-Analytic Review

Author: Kenji Sanada, Jesus Montero-Marin, Alberto Barceló-Soler, Daisuke Ikuse, Marie Ota, Akihito Hirata, Akira Yoshizawa, Rieko Hatanaka, Montserrat Salas Valero, Marcelo Demarzo, Javier García Campayo, Akira Iwanami
Affiliation: 1 Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo 157-8577, Japan. 2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. 3 Primary Care Prevention and Health Promotion Research Network, RedIAPP, 28220 Madrid, Spain. 4 Aragon Institute for Health Research, IIS Aragon, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. 5 Aragon Health Sciences Institute, IACS, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. 6 Mente Aberta-Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, Department of Preventive Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo 13565-905, Brazil. 7 Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
Conference/Journal: Int J Mol Sci
Date published: 2020 Apr 3
Other: Volume ID: 21 , Issue ID: 7 , Pages: 2484 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3390/ijms21072484. , Word Count: 199


Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) present positive effects on mental health in diverse populations. However, the detailed associations between MBIs and biomarkers in patients with psychiatric disorders remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of MBIs on biomarkers in psychiatric illness used to summarise the effects of low-grade inflammation. A systematic review of PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library was conducted. Effect sizes (ESs) were determined by Hedges' g and the number needed to treat (NNT). Heterogeneity was evaluated. A total of 10 trials with 998 participants were included. MBIs showed significant improvements in the event-related potential amplitudes in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, the methylation of serotonin transporter genes in post-traumatic stress disorder, the salivary levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in depression, and the blood levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), IL-6, and TNF-α in generalised anxiety disorder. MBIs showed low but significant effects on health status related to biomarkers of low-grade inflammation (g = -0.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.41 to -0.01; NNT = 8.47), with no heterogeneity (I2 = 0; 95% CI 0 to 79). More trials are needed to establish the impact of MBIs on biomarkers in psychiatric illness.

Keywords: biomarkers; low-grade inflammation; meta-analysis; mindfulness-based interventions; psychiatric disorders.

PMID: 32260096