Effects of stress reduction on dyslipedemia in diabetic African American women

Background and Purpose—Older African American women with diabetes are at high risk for death from CHD and stroke due, in part, to a disproportionate occurrence of diabetes. Low HDL and high triglyceride levels are key expressions of dyslipidemia in diabetics. Low HDL predicts both coronary outcomes and stroke, and contributes to CVD risk after other treatment targets have been achieved.

Methods—This study analyzed a diabetic subgroup from a randomized, controlled, clinical trial to evaluate the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program (TM) on HDL, triglycerides, and other risk factors in older African American women (mean age 65.5, range 55-85 y). Patients were randomly allocated to a TM program group or to a health-education group. Forty-nine diabetic patients completed the pretests and 12-month posttests. Comparisons were by ANCOVA and t-test.

Results—Dyslipidemic patients in the TM group showed a greater increase in HDL [Difference in Means 13.5 mg/dL, 95% CI 7.6 to 19.3 mg/dL; F(1, 23) = 12.68, P<0.002] and a greater decrease in triglycerides [Difference in Means -47.3 mg/dL, 95% CI -14.4 to -80.2; F(1, 23) = 4.44, P<0.05] than dyslipidemic patients in the diet and exercise group. Changes in diet and exercise were not significantly different.

Conclusions—Adding the Transcendental Meditation program to usual care in high-risk diabetic patients produced a 29% greater rise in HDL and a 20% greater drop in triglycerides than adding health education with diet and exercise training. Both treatment groups showed improvements in other CVD risk factors.