The stress-laden lifestyle, is escalating to such a level that it has started to interfere with one’s general well-being and hindering overall mind and body development. But things may not have gone completely out of control yet, according to a latest study, practising mind-body interventions, such as meditation, yoga and Tai Chi daily may not only relax you but can also reverse the molecular reactions in the DNA that causes stress and boost overall mental well-being.
Yes a regular session of yoga can penetrate into the micro molecular level and bring about a positive change in not only your physical health but also your stress control. Researchers from UK’s Coventry University, showed that people who practice mind-body interventions have shown a decrease in the production of a molecule called nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), which is known to regulate gene expression.
This is how typically your nervous system responds to a stressful event.When an individual encounters a stress-inducing event, it triggers their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) — the system responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response. This SNS activity leads to the production of NF-kB, which produces molecules called cytokines which cause cellular inflammation. This reaction is useful for dealing with a stressful situation, but if it’s persistent it can lead an individual to an exposed risk of inflammatory disorders like cancer, depression and fast ageing.
According to the new study published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology , meditation, yoga and Tai Chi may decrease the production of NF-kB and cytokines, leading to a reversal of the pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern and a drop in the rates of inflammation-related diseases and conditions.
The team examined 18 studies — featuring 846 participants over 11 years. The results revealed a pattern in the molecular changes which happen to the body as a result of practising yoga, meditation, and other mind body interventions and how can these changes benefit our mind-body well-being.
Lead researcher Ivana Buric said, “Millions of people around the world already enjoy the health benefits of mind-body interventions like yoga or meditation, but what they perhaps don’t realise is that these benefits begin at a molecular level and can change the way our genetic code goes about its business,”
Buric added, that these activities were leaving a supposed molecular signature in our cells, which reverses the effect that stress or anxiety would have on the body by changing how our genes are expressed. She further noted, that mind-body interventions cause the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path which can affect our well-being in a positive way.
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