In a novel controlled clinical trial, a six-day Ayurvedic-based well-being program that featured a vegetarian diet, meditation, yoga and massages led to measurable decreases in blood levels of metabolites associated with inflammation, cardiovascular disease risk and cholesterol regulation.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports, represent a rare attempt to use metabolic biomarkers to assess the health benefits of integrative medicine and holistic practices. Scott Peterson, PhD, professor in the Bioinformatics and Structural Biology Program, contributed to the study, which was overseen by Deepak Chopra, MD, clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a noted proponent of integrative medicine.
“It appears that a one-week Panchakarma program can significantly alter the metabolic profile of the person undergoing it,” said Chopra, whose foundation provided and managed funding for the study. “As part of our strategy to create a framework for whole systems biology research, our next step will be to correlate these changes with both gene expression and psychological health.”
“Many practices with roots in Ayurveda, such as meditation and yoga, are widely believed to be healthful, but their effects on human physiology are not well studied,” said Peterson.
The study involved 119 healthy male and female participants between 30 and 80 years of age who stayed at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, Calif. Slightly more than half were assigned to the Panchakarma intervention (the Chopra Center’s Perfect Health program, which typically costs $2,865 for a six-day treatment), while the remainder, who relaxed at a resort for the study period, served as controls. Blood plasma samples taken before and after the intervention or vacation were analyzed by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.
The researchers found that in the Panchakarma group, there was a measurable decrease in 12 specific cell membrane chemicals (phosphatidylcholines) correlating with serum cholesterol and inversely related to type 2 diabetes risk.
“These phospholipids exert broad effects on pathways related to inflammation and cholesterol metabolism,” said lead author Christine Tara Peterson, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Plasma and serum levels of the metabolites of phosphatidylcholine are highly predictive of cardiovascular disease risk.”
The authors suggested that given the very short duration of the trial, the serum profile changes were likely driven by the vegetarian diet component of Panchakarma. Further studies are needed to more fully understand the processes and mechanisms involved.
This post is based on a press release from UC San Diego. The paper is available online here.