title: Hypertension analysis of stress reduction using mindfulness meditation and yoga: results from the HARMONY randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The HARMONY study was a randomized, controlled trial examining the efficacy of an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program for blood pressure (BP) lowering among unmedicated stage 1 hypertensive participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants diagnosed with stage 1 hypertension based on ambulatory BP were randomized to either immediate treatment of MBSR for 8 weeks or wait-list control. Primary outcome analysis evaluated whether change in awake and 24-hour ambulatory BP from baseline to week 12 was significantly different between the 2 groups. A within-group before and after MBSR analysis was also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study enrolled 101 adults (38% male) with baseline average 24-hour ambulatory BP of 135±7.9/82±5.8mm Hg and daytime ambulatory BP of 140±7.7/87±6.3 mmHg. At week 12, the change from baseline in 24-hour ambulatory BP was 0.4±6.7/0.0±4.9mm Hg for the immediate intervention and 0.4±7.8/-0.4±4.6mm Hg for the wait-list control. There were no significant differences between intervention and wait-list control for all ambulatory BP parameters. The secondary within-group analysis found a small reduction in BP after MBSR compared with baseline, a finding limited to female subjects in a sex analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MBSR did not lower ambulatory BP by a statistically or clinically significant amount in untreated, stage 1 hypertensive patients when compared with a wait-list control group. It leaves untested whether MBSR might be useful for lowering BP by improving adherence in treated hypertensive participants.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT00825526.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blom
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Maxine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: How
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irvine
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbey
authors.forename: Beth L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.forename: Martin G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: Sheldon W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tobe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D064866:Mindfulness; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015013:Yoga
keywords: ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; behavior modification; blood pressure; hypertension; nonpharmacological therapy.