How mindfulness can help protect your heart

A new study has revealed that mindfulness, that is paying more attention to the feelings and experiences in the present moments, can help people protect their heart.

Eric Loucks, assistant professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health, said that people who are attuned to their present feelings might be better at managing the various cravings, for salt, sugary foods, cigarettes or even a spell on the couch, that undermine health.

Mostly mindfulness was associated with mental health and pain management, but increasingly they are being looked at for cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and blood pressure, he further added.

Researchers at Brown University found a significant association between self-reported "dispositional mindfulness" and better scores on four of seven cardiovascular health indicators, as well as a composite overall health score. Dispositional mindfulness has been defined as someone's awareness and attention to what they are thinking and feeling in the moment.

It's an encouraging link for health promotion, because mindfulness could be enhanced with training.

The study is published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.