Researchers in Brazil sent daily spirituality messages to participants to the study. The aim was to see how it affects blood pressure. The study’s lead author is Dr. Maria Emília Teixeira. She is a cardiologist in the hypertension unit of the Medical School of the Federal University of Goiás.
In the context of this research, she defined spirituality as moral and personal values. Specifically those that guide our lives and relationships with others, irrespective of any particular religious tradition. The researchers wanted to know how such spirituality reminders affect our heart health, and especially blood pressure.
The study’s main result: systolic blood pressure drop by 7 mmHg, on average, and other improvements in blood vessel health. The results were presented at the American College of Cardiology‘s Annual Scientific Session.
Prior studies pointed to similar effects of meditation and positive social interactions. However, the research was mostly observations, making it difficult to confirm.
What the messages contained
The researchers aimed to find out whether an intervention focused on cultivating optimism, gratitude, and forgiveness, could impact health. They did not tie to a specific religious tradition.
The participants to the study received a daily message via WhatsApp with a short text and videos. The messages encouraged them to pause and reflect, to focus on certain values or life’s purpose. Alternatively, the message would ask to complete a brief task, for example, writing a message of gratitude.
Spirituality and blood pressure: the study’s design
100 patients who were in treatment for hypertension, took part in the study. The medical scientists divided the patients randomly into two groups. 50 started receiving a spiritual intervention, and the remaining 50 did not.
The team of researchers monitored what participants engaged with the messages and completed the activities requested. However, they did not evaluate the depth of participants’ interaction.
Initially and again after 12 weeks, all the participants underwent a consultation process that evaluated their lifestyle habits and medication intake. Their blood pressure was measured. Additionally, at the beginning and conclusion of the study, the medical researchers tasked the participants with monitoring and recording their blood pressure at home for a five-day stretch.
The study’s result in detail
At the end of 12 weeks, participants who received the spirituality intervention observed a significant drop in blood pressure compared with both their own baseline blood pressure, and the final blood pressure measurements of the control group.
The participants also had a significant improvement in flow-mediated dilation, which increased by 4.5% among those receiving the intervention.
Researchers said the intervention is simple to develop and test, potentially making it feasible to scale up across a broad population.
“With this significant level of reduction in blood pressure, you would potentially be able to live longer with a lower chance of heart attack, kidney diseases, stroke or disability later in life,” said Maria Emília Teixeira, MD, a cardiologist in the hypertension unit of the Medical School of the Federal University of Goiás in Brazil and the study’s lead author. “This d7-mmHg drop is a larger reduction than has been seen with other nonpharmacological interventions and may even outperform some drugs.”
“This is absolutely affordable and would be easy to test or implement in different countries,” Teixeira said.
