Regular meditation can remove 7 years off the brain of a middle-aged person, according to a new study. Researchers found that the combination of intense concentration and relaxation could trigger the growth of new brain cells.
The study observed the brains of 50 men and women who practiced meditation and 50 people who did not meditate. The participants who practiced meditation performed traditional meditation for an average of 20 years. The brain scans were analyzed to determine the age of each brain based on its physical condition.
Published in the journal Neurolmage, the study revealed that non-meditators' brain age were the same as their actual age. However, brains of people who practiced meditation appeared to have brains seven years younger than their actual age.
The difference in age was particularly apparent for older meditators. For every extra year past the age of 50, a person who meditated added an extra year off brain age.
The research suggests that meditation is beneficial for the preservation of the brain, according to Christian Gaser, researcher from Jena University Hospital in Germany. The study also suggested that meditation encouraged a slow rate of brain aging, according to Daily Mail.
In a similar study, researchers found that the shrinkage of gray matter was less in people who meditated. Less brain matter is associated with lessened cognition function, according to Dr. Florian Kurth of the UCLA Brain Mapping Center.
Brian tissue begins to wither when people hit their mid-20s. This could also explain why people tend to become more forgetful as they age. Brain shrinkage has also been linked to Alzheimer's and other memory-robbing conditions.
Unfortunately, the study is not clear on how meditation protects the brain. Aside from intense mental processes that trigger the growth of new cells and connections, the chemicals produced by meditation may also offer an effect.
Kurth, on the other, explains that meditation reduces stress and protects the brain, according to ABC 7. Meditation techniques also help build up certain parts of brain similar to body building. In addition, Gaser clarifies that those who meditate may lead a healthier lifestyle in general which could explain the results of the study.
