Influence of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Telomerase Activity in Women With Breast Cancer (BC)

Abstract

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fear of recurrence among breast cancer (BC) survivors. However, the effects of MBSR (BC) on telomere length (TL) and telomerase activity (TA), known markers of cellular aging, psychological stress, and disease risk, are not known. This randomized, wait-listed, controlled study, nested within a larger trial, investigated the effects of MBSR (BC) on TL and TA. BC patients (142) with Stages 0–III cancer who had completed adjuvant treatment with radiation and/or chemotherapy at least 2 weeks prior to enrollment and within 2 years of completion of treatment with lumpectomy and/or mastectomy were randomly assigned to either a 6-week MBSR for BC program or a usual care. Assessments of TA and TL were obtained along with psychological measurements at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks after completing the MBSR(BC) program. The mean age of 142 participants was 55.3 years; 72% were non-Hispanic White; 78% had Stage I or II cancer; and 36% received both chemotherapy and radiation. In analyses adjusted for baseline TA and psychological status, TA increased steadily over 12 weeks in the MBSR(BC) group (approximately 17%) compared to essentially no increase in the control group (approximately 3%, p < .01). In contrast, no between-group difference was observed for TL (p = .92). These results provide preliminary evidence that MBSR(BC) increases TA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from BC patients and have implications for understanding how MBSR(BC) may extend cell longevity at the cellular level.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapies on people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…However, another study [38] reported that MBT had a small effect size (0.32) on reducing stress in adults with chronic conditions. Reviews of studies conducted with cancer patients suggested an even more significant effect of MBT on patient stress Regarding biomedical outcomes, some previous studies reported that MBSR training could increase plasma cortisol levels, extend cell longevity [40][41], promote the recovery of functional T cells [42], and improve plasma levels of IGF-1 and antigen-specific IgM and IgG 3 [43]. These M A N U S C R I P T…”

Psychiatric disorders and leukocyte telomere length: Underlying mechanisms linking mental illness with cellular aging

“…Further, these studies have often been non-randomized and not adequately controlled. These studies have generally found intervention-associated increases in PBMC basal TA (Epel, 2012; Epel et al, 2009b; Epel, 2009; Jacobs et al, 2011; Lengacher et al, 2014; Ornish et al, 2008; Schutte and Malouff, 2014b; Starkweather et al, 2014). A recent metaanalysis of four studies with randomized controlled designs (Jacobs et al, 2011; Daubenmier et al, 2012; Ho et al, 2012; Lavretsky et al, 2013) found an effect size of d= 0.46 for meditation intervention increasing PBMC basal TA (Schutte and Malouff, 2014b).…”

Telomeres, Early-Life Stress and Mental Illness

“…Positive results in a small sample study such as this are intriguing, as they support the idea that telomere length could serve as an objective measure to be tracked over time to evaluate intervention efficacy, in addition to its potential role as a marker of health and disease. Lengacher et al [137] provided preliminary evidence that mindfulness-based stress reduction over 12 weeks increased telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 142 breast cancer survivors.…”