The links between yoga, breath-focused meditation and brain health

If you have practiced yoga and learned about ‘pranayama’ , or breathing to regulate the life force, or if you have practiced meditation with a focus on following your breath, you may be intrigued by the findings of a new study from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.  Even if you have never tried yoga or meditation this study may impel you to find your own version of intentional breathing to help you focus and relax.  

The new study, published in the journal Psychophysiology, explains for the first time some of the links between breathing and attention. Breath-focused meditation and yogic breathing practices have long been known to have cognitive benefits, including increased ability to focus, decreased mind wandering, and more positive emotions. To date, however, no direct neurophysiological link between respiration and cognition has been suggested.

The new research shows that breathing -- a key element of meditation and mindfulness practices -- directly affects the levels of a natural chemical messenger in the brain called noradrenaline. This chemical messenger is released when we are challenged, curious, exercised, focused or emotionally aroused, and, if produced at the right levels, helps the brain grow new connections. The way we breathe, in other words, directly affects the chemistry of our brains in a way that can enhance our attention and improve our brain health.

The study, carried out by researchers at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity, found that participants who focused well while undertaking a task that demanded a lot of attention had greater synchronization between their breathing patterns and their attention, than those who had poor focus. The authors believe that it may be possible to use breath-control practices to stabilize attention and boost brain health.

Michael Melnychuk, PhD candidate at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity, and lead author of the study, explained: "Practitioners of yoga have claimed for some 2,500 years, that respiration influences the mind. In our study we looked for a neurophysiological link that could help explain these claims by measuring breathing, reaction time, and brain activity in a small area in the brainstem called the locus coeruleus, where noradrenaline is made. Noradrenaline is an all-purpose action system in the brain. When we are stressed we produce too much noradrenaline and we can't focus. When we feel sluggish, we produce too little and again, we can't focus. There is a sweet spot of noradrenaline in which our emotions, thinking and memory are much clearer."

"This study has shown that as you breathe in locus coeruleus activity is increasing slightly, and as you breathe out it decreases. Put simply this means that our attention is influenced by our breath and that it rises and falls with the cycle of respiration. It is possible that by focusing on and regulating your breathing you can optimize your attention level and likewise, by focusing on your attention level, your breathing becomes more synchronized."

The research provides deeper scientific understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms which underlie ancient meditation practices. Further research could help with the development of non-pharmacological therapies for people with conditions such as ADHD and traumatic brain injury and in supporting cognition in older people.

According to the authors of this study, there are traditionally two types of breath-focused practices -- those that emphasize focus on breathing (mindfulness), and those that require breathing to be controlled (deep breathing practices such as pranayama). In cases when a person's attention is compromised, practices that emphasize concentration and focus, such as mindfulness, could possibly be most beneficial. In cases where a person's level of arousal is the cause of poor attention, for example drowsiness while driving, a pounding heart during an exam, or during a panic attack, it should be possible to alter the level of arousal in the body by controlling breathing. Both of these techniques have been shown to be effective in both the short and the long term.

Ian Robertson, Co-Director of the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity and Principal Investigator of the study added: "Yogis and Buddhist practitioners have long considered the breath an especially suitable object for meditation. It is believed that by observing the breath, and regulating it in precise ways -- a practice known as pranayama -- changes in arousal, attention, and emotional control that can be of great benefit to the meditator are realized. Our research finds that there is evidence to support the view that there is a strong connection between breath-centered practices and a steadiness of mind."

"Our findings could have particular implications for research into brain ageing. Brains typically lose mass as they age, but less so in the brains of long term meditators. More 'youthful' brains have a reduced risk of dementia and mindfulness meditation techniques actually strengthen brain networks. Our research offers one possible reason for this -- using our breath to control one of the brain's natural chemical messengers, noradrenaline, which in the right 'dose' helps the brain grow new connections between cells. This study provides one more reason for everyone to boost the health of their brain using a whole range of activities ranging from aerobic exercise to mindfulness meditation."

Journal Reference:

Michael Christopher Melnychuk, Paul M. Dockree, Redmond G. O'Connell, Peter R. Murphy, Joshua H. Balsters, Ian H. Robertson. Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama. Psychophysiology, 2018; e13091 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13091

 Sadja Greenwood, MD, MPH   Past issues on this blog. Feel free to leave me a message.

How Five Habits Can Make a Huge Difference

According to a new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, five healthy habits maintained during adulthood may add more than a decade to your life expectancy.  The bad news - Americans have a shorter average life expectancy — 79.3 years — than almost all other high-income countries. The U.S. ranked 31st in the world for life expectancy in 2015. This is disgraceful. It is probably due to our income inequality, racism, and lack of universal health care.  The good news – you can make a big difference in your health and life expectancy by consistently doing the things you already know are important. 

The new study, published in the journal Circulation, aimed to quantify how much healthy lifestyle factors might be able to boost longevity in the U.S.  Data came from Harvard Chan researchers and colleagues looking at 34 years of data from 78,865 women and 27 years of data from 44,354 men participating in, respectively, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The researchers looked at how five low-risk lifestyle factors might impact mortality:

1. not smoking

2. keeping a low body mass index (18.5-24.9 kg/m2)

3. doing at least 30 minutes or more per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity

4. having a moderate alcohol intake (for example, up to about one 5-ounce glass of wine per day for women, or up to two glasses for men) 

5. keeping a healthy diet.

Women and men who checked all five boxes had an average life expectancy that was 14 years and 12 years longer than the life expectancy of people with none of those healthy habits. And the researchers found a dose-response relationship, meaning that for each healthy habit a person adopted, life expectancy increased.   As you can see – these are very large numbers.

Researchers also found that American women and men who maintained the healthiest lifestyles were 82 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 65 percent less likely to die from cancer when compared with those with the least healthy lifestyles over the course of the roughly 30-year study period. For study participants who didn’t adopt any of the low-risk habits, the researchers estimated that life expectancy at age 50 was 29 years for women and 25.5 years for men. But for those who adopted all five, life expectancy at age 50 was projected to be 43.1 years for women and 37.6 years for men. In other words, women who maintained all five healthy habits gained, on average, 14 years of life, and men who did so gained 12 years, compared with those who didn’t maintain healthy habits.

Compared with those who didn’t follow any of the healthy lifestyle habits, those who followed all five were 74 percent less likely to die during the study period. The researchers also found that there was a dose-response relationship between each individual healthy lifestyle behavior and a reduced risk of early death, and that the combination of all five healthy behaviors was linked to the most additional years of life.

“This study underscores the importance of following healthy lifestyle habits for improving longevity in the U.S. population,” said Frank Hu, chair of the Department of Nutritionat Harvard Chan School and senior author of the study. “However, adherence to healthy lifestyle habits is very low. Therefore, public policies should put more emphasis on creating healthy food, built, and social environments to support and promote healthy diet and lifestyles.”

Other Harvard Chan School study authors included Yanping Li, Dong Wang, Xiaoran Liu, Klodian Dhana, Meir Stampfer, and Walter Willett.

Let’s look at the healthy habits realistically.  They are sensible and well known, but not easy for many people. 

1. Quitting smoking can be hard and should be done early in life.  Vaping is not the answer as it has its own hazards, including nicotine dependency and toxins in the vaping liquid.  For help to quit smoking the Centers for Disease Control has a good website and a line to call for advice – 800 784 8669.  Your primary care provider should also be a good source of help.

 2. Find your body mass index at your doctor’s office or at nhlbi.nih.gov.

 Achieving a healthy weight may be difficult if you are overweight and have tried dieting without success. Some plans being advertised on TV are quite costly.  Weight Watchers is considered one of the most effective because of its healthy diet and group support.  The book The Ultimate Volumetrics Dietby Barbara Rolls at Pennsylvania State University provides a healthy diet that works with minimal hunger.  Visit the National Weight Control Registry to read about over 10,000 people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, and find out about their techniques. 

3. Doing 30 minutes or more per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity may be hard for sedentary people.  Check with your primary care provider first.  Find friends to go on regular walks with you, join a gym that is friendly and has trainers to give sound advice, exercise to stimulating music that you love (for me its Cajun and Zydeco).  Plan ways to put the half hour  into your day – breaking into 2x15 or 3x10 is OK. Wear a ‘Fitbit’ or similar device if that helps you.  Do chair exercises in a class or in front of television if standing is too difficult.

4. Having a moderate alcohol intake can be hard for regular drinkers.  Much of our social life centers around alcohol – people who drink enjoy the taste of wines, beer and whiskey/gin/ rum and also like the feelings of relaxation and the ‘buzz’. At social gatherings it is easy to exceed a one drink level for women and two drinks for men. You should be extra careful if you are taking medications that do not mix well with alcohol or have a condition, such as high blood pressure, that is worsened by drinking.  Do not drink if you are going to drive a car or operate any machinery.  Do not drink if you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.  For many good ideas about moderating your alcohol use, go to the NIH website ‘Rethinking Drinking’.

5. Keeping a healthy diet is the fifth habit that will help you.  On this website, go to the upper left corner and type in ‘The Mind Diet’.  You will find a detailed description of what healthy foods to eat, and which others to avoid.  People who don’t use the internet can look at The Ultimate Volumetric Diet by Barbara Rolls or the Mind Diet Cookbook by Kristin Diversi.

Sadja Greenwood MD, MPH

Leave me a comment or a question 

Chocolate Lovers – Read On!

New research from Loma Linda University indicates that there are possible health benefits to eating certain types of dark chocolate. The studies were recently presented at the 2018 Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego; they showed that consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao (minimally 70% cacao) has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity. While it is well known that cacao is a major source of flavonoids, this is the first time the effect has been studied in human subjects to determine how it can support cognitive, endocrine and cardiovascular health.  (Flavonoids are a diverse group plant chemicals found in fruits and vegetables. Along with carotenoids, they are responsible for the vivid colors in these foods. Flavonoids are antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits.)

Lee S. Berk, DrPH, associate dean of research affairs, School of Allied Health Professions and a researcher in psychoneuroimmunology and food science from Loma Linda University, served as principal investigator on both studies. "For years, we have looked at the influence of dark chocolate on neurological functions from the standpoint of sugar content -- the more sugar, the happier we are," Berk said. "This is the first time that we have looked at the impact of large amounts of cacao in doses as small as a regular-sized chocolate bar in humans over short or long periods of time, and are encouraged by the findings. These studies show us that the higher the concentration of cacao, the more positive the impact on cognition, memory, mood, immunity and other beneficial effects."  

Here are the results presented during the Experimental Biology meeting:

Dark Chocolate (70% Cacao) Affects Human Gene Expression: Cacao Regulates Cellular Immune Response, Neural Signaling, and Sensory Perception

This pilot feasibility experimental trial examined the impact of 70 percent cacao chocolate consumption on human immune and dendritic cell gene expression, with focus on pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Study findings show cacao consumption up-regulates multiple intracellular signaling pathways involved in T-cell activation, cellular immune response and genes involved in neural signaling and sensory perception -- the latter potentially associated with the phenomena of brain hyperplasticity.  (Greenwood’s explanation - Neuroplasticity is the brain's innate ability to adapt to training and learn new skills - from foreign languages to math, and, for an athlete, physical movement and strength. By stimulating the motor cortex during athletic training, the brain enters into a state of heightened plasticity known as "hyperplasticity," during which the brain adapts to training most effectively.)

Dark Chocolate (70% Organic Cacao) Increases Acute and Chronic EEG Power Spectral Density (μv2) Response of Gamma Frequency (25-40Hz) for Brain Health: Enhancement of Neuroplasticity, Neural Synchrony, Cognitive Processing, Learning, Memory, Recall, and Mindfulness Meditation

This study assessed the electroencephalography (EEG) response to consuming 48 g of dark chocolate (70% cacao) after an acute period of time (30 mins) and after a chronic period of time (120 mins), on modulating brain frequencies 0-40Hz, specifically beneficial gamma frequency (25-40Hz). Findings show that this superfood of 70 percent cacao enhances neuroplasticity for behavioral and brain health benefits.

(Greenwood – Many chocolate bars with 70% cacao contain about 48g in half a bar. Read the label carefully.  An Endangered Species bar with 72% cacao has 43g, 210 calories and 12 g of sugar in half a bar. Lily’s 70% cacao bars are sweetened with stevia – available at some specialty stores and on the internet. )

Berk said the studies require further investigation, specifically to determine the significance of these effects for immune cells and the brain in larger study populations. Further research is in progress to elaborate on the mechanisms that may be involved in the cause-and-effect brain-behavior relationship with cacao at this high concentration.

Take home message from these studies – while chocolate is a delicious treat with valuable properties for health, it often comes with too much added sugar.  If you eat part of a 70% cacao bar regularly, avoid other sources of sugar and satisfy your sweet cravings with multicolored fruits.   If you have an elevated blood sugar, go for the Lily’s brand and follow the dietary advice of your health care provider.

Sadja Greenwood, MD. MPH   back issues on this blog

---