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Comment on 'Investigating the effect of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis'

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 30, page 412 (2016)Cite this article

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The recent systematic review and meta-analysis by Bai et al.1 was refreshing in regard to its rigor and analysis. A few points on their subgroup analyses may merit further comment.

The review found that participants over 65 had larger reductions in systolic blood pressure (−8.6 mm Hg) than younger adults aged 25 to 65 (−3.7 mm Hg). It also found that systolic blood pressure reductions were greater for patients with higher initial blood pressure: normal, −2.4 mm Hg, prehypertension, −4.08 mm Hg and hypertensive, −7.20 mm Hg. Because blood pressure tends to rise with age, we suggest that these findings are confounded. In Bai et al.’s data initial blood pressure and age showed a relatively strong correlation of r=0.71. We suggest that initial blood pressure levels are the more fundamental moderator variable, because one would expect persons with low normal blood pressure, whether young or old, not to show much change with transcendental meditation (TM) practice, whereas persons with hypertension would probably show substantial reductions, irrespective of their age. Initial blood pressure level counts more than age.

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References

  1. Bai Z, Chang J, Chen C, Li P, Yang K, Chi I . Investigating the effect of Transcendental Meditation on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Hum Hypertens 2015; 29: 653–662.

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  2. Schneider RH, Staggers F, Alexander CN, Sheppard W, Rainforth MV, Kondwani K et al. A randomized controlled trial of stress reduction for hypertension in older African Americans. Hypertension 1995; 26: 820–827.

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  1. Research Desk, Maharishi Foundation USA, Fairfield, IA, USA

    D Orme-Johnson

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Correspondence to D Orme-Johnson.

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Orme-Johnson, D. Comment on 'Investigating the effect of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis'. J Hum Hypertens 30, 412 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2015.111

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