Meditation May Help Reduce Age-Related Gray Mass Reduction In The Brain

Statistics show that since the 1970s, life expectancy has dramatically risen. Yet those who live longer may not be healthier.

Research shows that as early as the late-20s, the brain's volume and size begins to slowly wither, decreasing the organ's ability to grasp certain cognitive functions over time.

Of course, there are steps to help slow this process. New findings suggest that meditation could help to decrease the risk. 

For the study scientists specifically examined the association between age and gray matter. They compared 50 people who had meditated for years and 50 who didn't.

Each group in the study was made up of 28 men and 22 women ranging in age from 24 to 77. Those who meditated had been doing so for four to 46 years, with an average of 20 years.

People in both groups showed a loss of gray matter as they aged, but those who mediated had a higher volume of gray matter than counterparts who did not regularly meditate.

Participants' brains were scanned via high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging, which showed a correlation between gray matter and age in both groups.

"We expected rather small and distinct effects located in some of the regions that had previously been associated with meditating," Dr. Florian Kurth, a co-author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Brain Mapping Center, in a news release. "Instead, what we actually observed was a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain."

However, researchers cautioned that they may not be able to draw a direct connection between meditation and preserving gray matter. Other factors, including lifestyle choices, genetic brain differences and personality traits will also need to be studied, first.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

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