<p>Mind-body interventions such as yoga, Tai Chi and meditation can boost our physical and mental well-being by 'reversing' the DNA processes that cause stress and depression.<br /><br />Researchers reviewed 18 studies - featuring 846 participants over 11 years - analysing how the behaviour of our genes is affected by different mind-body interventions (MBIs) including mindfulness and yoga.<br /><br />They found a pattern in the molecular changes which happen to the body as a result of MBIs, and how those changes benefit our mental and physical health.<br /><br />"Millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of mind-body interventions like yoga or meditation, but what they perhaps don't realise is that these benefits begin at a molecular level and can change the way our genetic code goes about its business," said Ivana Buric from the Coventry University in the UK.<br /><br />The researchers focused on how gene expression is affected; in other words the way that genes activate to produce proteins which influence the biological make-up of the body, the brain and the immune system.<br /><br />When a person is exposed to a stressful event, their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) - the system responsible for the 'fight-or-flight' response - is triggered, in turn increasing production of a molecule called NF-kB which regulates how our genes are expressed.<br /><br />NF-kB translates stress by activating genes to produce proteins called cytokines that cause inflammation at cellular level - a reaction that is useful as a short-lived fight-or- flight reaction, but if persistent leads to a higher risk of cancer, accelerated ageing and psychiatric disorders like depression.<br /><br />According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, people who practise MBIs exhibit the opposite effect—namely a decrease in production of NF-kB and cytokines, leading to a reversal of the pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern and a reduction in the risk of inflammation-related diseases and conditions.<br /><br />The researchers said that the inflammatory effect of the fight-or-flight response - which also serves to temporarily bolster the immune system - would have played an important role in mankind's hunter-gatherer prehistory, when there was a higher risk of infection from wounds.<br /><br />In today's society, however, where stress is increasingly psychological and often longer-term, pro-inflammatory gene expression can be persistent and therefore more likely to cause psychiatric and medical problems.<br /><br />"These activities are leaving a molecular signature in our cells, which reverses the effect that stress or anxiety would have on the body by changing how our genes are expressed," said Buric.<br /><br />"Put simply, MBIs cause the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path which improves our wellbeing," she said. <br /></p>
<p>Mind-body interventions such as yoga, Tai Chi and meditation can boost our physical and mental well-being by 'reversing' the DNA processes that cause stress and depression.<br /><br />Researchers reviewed 18 studies - featuring 846 participants over 11 years - analysing how the behaviour of our genes is affected by different mind-body interventions (MBIs) including mindfulness and yoga.<br /><br />They found a pattern in the molecular changes which happen to the body as a result of MBIs, and how those changes benefit our mental and physical health.<br /><br />"Millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of mind-body interventions like yoga or meditation, but what they perhaps don't realise is that these benefits begin at a molecular level and can change the way our genetic code goes about its business," said Ivana Buric from the Coventry University in the UK.<br /><br />The researchers focused on how gene expression is affected; in other words the way that genes activate to produce proteins which influence the biological make-up of the body, the brain and the immune system.<br /><br />When a person is exposed to a stressful event, their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) - the system responsible for the 'fight-or-flight' response - is triggered, in turn increasing production of a molecule called NF-kB which regulates how our genes are expressed.<br /><br />NF-kB translates stress by activating genes to produce proteins called cytokines that cause inflammation at cellular level - a reaction that is useful as a short-lived fight-or- flight reaction, but if persistent leads to a higher risk of cancer, accelerated ageing and psychiatric disorders like depression.<br /><br />According to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, people who practise MBIs exhibit the opposite effect—namely a decrease in production of NF-kB and cytokines, leading to a reversal of the pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern and a reduction in the risk of inflammation-related diseases and conditions.<br /><br />The researchers said that the inflammatory effect of the fight-or-flight response - which also serves to temporarily bolster the immune system - would have played an important role in mankind's hunter-gatherer prehistory, when there was a higher risk of infection from wounds.<br /><br />In today's society, however, where stress is increasingly psychological and often longer-term, pro-inflammatory gene expression can be persistent and therefore more likely to cause psychiatric and medical problems.<br /><br />"These activities are leaving a molecular signature in our cells, which reverses the effect that stress or anxiety would have on the body by changing how our genes are expressed," said Buric.<br /><br />"Put simply, MBIs cause the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path which improves our wellbeing," she said. <br /></p>