Health
Anti-aging benefits linked to one surprising health habit
Engaging in a long-term meditation practice could significantly alleviate stress and slow down aging, suggests a new study published in the journal Biomolecules.
Researchers from Maharishi International University (MIU), the University of Siegen, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences studied the effectiveness of transcendental meditation, which is a program where people silently repeat a mantra in their head to achieve deep relaxation.
“These results support other studies indicating that the transcendental meditation technique can reverse or remove long-lasting effects of stress,” co-author Kenneth Walton, a senior researcher at MIU, told Fox News Digital.
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“Lasting effects of stress are now recognized as causing or contributing to all diseases and disorders,” he added.
Engaging in a long-term meditation practice could significantly alleviate stress and slow down aging, suggests a new study. (iStock)
The study included two groups of participants — one ranging from 20 to 30 years old and another ranging from 55 to 72. Half of the participants followed transcendental meditation and a control group did not.
For each participant, the researchers analyzed the expression of genes linked to inflammation and aging, according to a press release from MIU.
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They found that people who practiced transcendental meditation had lower expression of the genes associated with inflammation and aging.
“The lower expression of age-related genes … extend the findings of short-term studies indicating that these practices lead to healthy aging and more resilient adaptation to stress,” Walton said in the release.
“Lasting effects of stress are now recognized as causing or contributing to all diseases and disorders.”
The researchers also analyzed cognitive function via EEG tests. Older practitioners of transcendental meditation were found to have faster processing speeds.
That group also received higher scores on the Brain Integration Scale (BIS), which is a comprehensive measure of cognitive performance.
People who practiced transcendental meditation had lower expression of the genes associated with inflammation and aging. (iStock)
“The findings around cognitive function are particularly exciting,” said co-author Frederick Travis, PhD, head of faculty at Maharishi International University, in the release.
“Both younger and older TM practitioners showed higher scores on the BIS compared to non-meditators, while the older meditators performed on par with young controls,” he stated.
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The third area of focus was hair cortisol and cortisone, which are steroid hormones that serve as biomarkers for long-term stress exposure and other health conditions.
The amount of active cortisol was higher for those who practiced transcendental meditation, the study found.
The researchers analyzed cognitive function via EEG tests, finding that older practitioners of transcendental meditation had faster processing speeds. (iStock)
“Cortisol plays a critical role in the body’s response to stress, and chronically high cortisol levels are associated with a host of age-related health issues, in addition to cognitive decline,” Walton said.
“The reduced cortisol-to-cortisone ratio in meditators suggests they have more adaptive reserve, more resilience, contributing to overall health and longevity.”
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The main limitation in the years-long, cohort study was the lack of a placebo control group, according to Walton.
“These meditators practiced their techniques twice daily for many years, and the control subjects had no similar activity,” he told Fox News Digital. “Also, most subjects spent their years in the same geographical location (Southeast Iowa in the U.S.).”
‘Weightlifting for the brain’
Biohacker Dave Asprey, author of the upcoming book “Heavily Meditated: The Fast Path to Remove Your Triggers, Dissolve Stress, and Activate Inner Peace,” has spent 25 years studying meditation with shamans and gurus, and researching neuroscience.
He agrees that meditation helps to slow the aging process.
“It reduces stress — and the more stress you have that’s not useful stress, like going to the gym or working hard, that shrinks your brain and makes you old,” Asprey said during an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital. “Meditation has been shown in multiple studies to undo those problems.”
“Long-term meditators have brains that can make more electricity than someone who doesn’t meditate — and their brains are more orderly,” the expert said. (iStock)
The biohacker also refers to meditation as “weightlifting for the brain.”
“Long-term meditators have brains that can make more electricity than someone who doesn’t meditate — and their brains are more orderly.”
Meditation could potentially slow and perhaps prevent some types of dementia, according to Asprey.
“There are studies showing that people who meditate are better at excreting toxins,” he added.
Asprey emphasized that meditation starts not in the mind, but in the body.
“There are profound results showing that meditation can do much better than antidepressants.”
For those who are just getting started, he recommends trying a body scan to calm the nervous system.
“For this, you breathe in deeply for four seconds and breathe out for eight seconds,” he said. “Focus on your toes, then your ankles, then your calves, then your knees — and you slowly put all of your awareness in each part of your body.”
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“Learning that meditation is an embodied practice versus a mental practice can shift it for everyone when they’re just getting going.”
Some studies have shown that the right form of meditation or breath work can have effects that exceed pharmaceuticals, according to Asprey.
One of the biggest myths is that all meditation is the same or that all meditation is good for everyone, the expert noted. (iStock)
“There are profound results that meditation can do much better than antidepressants,” he said. “That said, if you’re on a medication and you start meditating, you should tell your doctor and probably not go off the drugs without some support.”
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One of the biggest myths is that all meditation is the same or that all meditation is good for everyone, Asprey noted.
“The normal meditation that was designed for farmers isn’t going to work if you’re a warrior — and it’s okay if it doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.”
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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