Mindful Eating: Lowering the Risk From the №1 Killer

Mindfulness meditation is proven to lower the odds of the leading cause of mortality

Eric J. Kort MD
Wise & Well

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Photos by Brooke Lark and CDC on Unsplash

Meditation can save your life. I am confident that is true in a variety of ways, but new research focuses on one in particular: adhering to heart-healthy eating.

A new study out of Brown University has demonstrated that meditation can help people stick with a specific heart-healthy diet that is proven to lower their risk of heart disease. And that’s a big deal considering heart disease is the number one killer among adults in the US.

The pressure is on

High blood pressure is the new normal, with nearly half of US residents meeting the criteria for hypertension (elevated blood pressure). This is in part due to the fact that the blood pressure threshold for the diagnosis was lowered a few years back (from 140/90 to 130/80). But that change in definition simply reflects our growing understanding of the hazards of above-normal blood pressure.

Hypertension remains a major risk factor for heart failure, stroke, heart attack, and death. The high pressure damages your blood vessels leading to inflammation, and ultimately to narrowing of your blood vessels and decreased blood supply to your heart, brain, and…

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