Study Finds Meditation Could Dramatically Improve Your Gut Health - Prevention Magazine

The researchers discovered that two good forms of gut bacteria— Megamonas and Faecalibacterium— were “significantly enriched” in the group that practiced regular meditation.

The bacteria are linked with a lower risk of anxiety, depression, and heart disease, and has also been associated with an “enhanced immune function,” the researchers noted.

“ Long-term traditional Tibetan Buddhist meditation may positively impact physical and mental health,” the researchers wrote in the study’s conclusion.

It’s important to acknowledge up front that the study was small, all of the participants were men, and they all lived in Tibet, making it hard to say definitively that everyone who meditates will have better health.

Meditation and mindfulness practices may affect the functioning or structure of your brain, the NCCIH says, and your gut is directly linked with your brain through a pathway known as the gut-brain axis, says clinical psychologist Thea Gallagher, Psy.D., a clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the Mind in View podcast.

She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.