Meditation May Lower Stress-Linked Heart Risks

New commentary examines research on Transcendental Meditation as a potential strategy for reducing cardiovascular disease.

Mar. 25, 2026 at 5:00am

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A new commentary published in Nature Reviews Cardiology reviews decades of scientific evidence showing how chronic stress affects cardiovascular biology and examines research on the Transcendental Meditation technique as a potential strategy for reducing stress-related cardiovascular risk. The commentary was authored by researchers from Maharishi International University, UCLA, and Wayne State University.

Why it matters

Psychosocial stress is a major contributor to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, according to the commentary. Addressing stress may represent an important opportunity to improve cardiovascular prevention, as stress contributes to disease through several biological pathways including activation of the sympathetic nervous system, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction.

The details

The commentary reviews research suggesting that the Transcendental Meditation technique produces a physiological state characterized by reduced sympathetic nervous system activity and increased parasympathetic tone, reflecting improved autonomic regulation and reduced activation of stress-response pathways. More than three decades of clinical research have examined the cardiovascular effects of Transcendental Meditation, reporting reductions in blood pressure, improvements in metabolic risk factors, and slower progression of atherosclerosis.

  • The commentary was published on March 25, 2026.

The players

Robert H. Schneider

The lead author of the commentary and director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi International University.

Keith C. Norris

A professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a co-author of the commentary.

Robert D. Brook

A co-author of the commentary and a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

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What they’re saying

“Psychosocial stress is a powerful and modifiable contributor to cardiovascular disease. Addressing stress may represent an important opportunity to improve cardiovascular prevention.”

— Robert H. Schneider, Lead author of the commentary and director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi International University

“These findings suggest that stress-reduction approaches may influence biological pathways involved in hypertension and cardiovascular disease.”

— Keith C. Norris, Professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

What’s next

The authors conclude that addressing psychosocial stress more systematically could contribute to reductions in hypertension and cardiovascular risk and support more comprehensive approaches to cardiovascular prevention.

The takeaway

This commentary highlights the growing recognition of psychosocial stress as a major cardiovascular risk factor and the potential for meditation techniques like Transcendental Meditation to help reduce this risk through their effects on the autonomic nervous system and stress-response pathways.