ObjectivesDespite the long-term use and evidence-based efficacy of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, there is still a lack of data about the possible unwanted effects (UEs) of these practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of UEs among meditation practitioners, considering moderating factors such as the type, frequency, and lifetime duration of the meditation practices.MethodsAn online survey was developed and disseminated through several websites, such as Spanish-, English- and Portuguese-language scientific research portals related to mindfulness and meditation. After excluding people who did not answer the survey correctly or completely and those who had less than two months of meditation experience, a total of 342 people participated in the study. However, only 87 reported information about UEs.ResultsThe majority of the practitioners were women from Spain who were married and had a University education level. Practices were more frequently informal, performed on a daily basis, and followed by focused attention (FA). Among the participants, 25.4% reported UEs, showing that severity varies considerably. The information requested indicated that most of the UEs were transitory and did not lead to discontinuing meditation practice or the need for medical assistance. They were more frequently reported in relation to individual practice, during focused attention meditation, and when practising for more than 20 minutes and alone. The practice of body awareness was associated with UEs to a lesser extent, whereas focused attention was associated more with UEs.ConclusionsThis is the first large-scale, multi-cultural study on the UEs of meditation. Despite its limitations, this study suggests that UEs are prevalent and transitory and should be further studied. We recommend the use of standardized questionnaires to assess the UEs of meditation practices.

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Gluthathione (GSH) has been previously shown to promote the reduction of pentavalent antimony (Sb(V)) into the more toxic trivalent antimony (Sb(II)) in the antimonial drug, meglumine antimonate. However, this reaction occurred at acidic pH (pH 5) but not at the pH of the cytosol (pH 7.2) in which GSH is encountered. The aim of the present study was to further characterize the reaction between thiols and antimonial drugs, addressing the following aspects: (i) the reducing activity of cysteine (Cys) and cysteinyl-glycine (Cys-Gly), expected to be the predominant thiols in the acidic compartments of mammalian cells; (ii) the reducing activity of trypanothione (T(SH)2), the main intracellular thiol in Leishmania parasites; (iii) the influence of the state of complexation of Sb(V) on the rate of Sb(V) reduction. We report here that Cys, Cys-Gly and T(SH)2 did promote the reduction of Sb(V) into Sb(III) at 37 degrees C. Strikingly, the initial rates of reduction of Sb(V) were much greater in the presence of Cys-Gly, Cys and T(SH)2 than in the presence of GSH. These reactions occurred at both pH 5 and pH 7 but were favored at acidic pH. Moreover, our data shows that Sb(V) is reduced more slowly in the form of meglumine antimonate than in its non-complexed form, indicating that the complexation of Sb(V) tends to slow down the rate of its reduction. In conclusion, our data supports the hypothesis that Sb(V) is reduced in vivo by T(SH)2 within Leishmania parasites and by Cys or Cys-Gly within the acidic compartments of mammalian cells.

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