Meditation as anti-aging medicine

Oxidative stress is considered a primary agent of aging in many leading theories of aging, and is conceptualised as a product of oxygen radical formation during normal metabolic functioning and/or resulting from deficiencies in protective endogenous antioxidant, free radical scavenging capacities.

Several studies on meditation have demonstrated reduced indices of oxidative stress during meditation and such reduced levels of oxidative stress have been hypothesised to reflect a slower rate of aging. According to some scientists, meditation is the best anti-aging medicine.

In particular, the idea that normal metabolic functioning, which causes oxidative radical byproducts, in turn causes aging over time (i.e. the "rate of living" theory of aging), is currently a subject of broad and intense debate, with proponents and critics offering many explanations to resolve apparent inconsistencies and contradictions in the data.

If, as some contend, reduced metabolic rate leads to the (relative) retardation of aging, then the practice of the classic meditative regimen may indeed be associated with significant retardation of aging and/or extension of life span and health span on the basis of much data on the metabolism-lowering effects of meditation.

Of particular interest in this regard are studies by researchers from Stanford, Harvard, Rockefeller University, and other research institutions on the special ability of some long-term, virtuoso yoga practitioners to induce and maintain profoundly lowered metabolic rates during meditation, with reductions ranging from 38–64 percent below resting levels!

Such lowered metabolism is actually within the range of hibernating animals, and hibernation has been associated with extended longevity in some studies because of lowered metabolism, according to some investigators.

Research now shows that meditation also increases levels of melatonin. Melatonin has several anti aging effects, and studies done on the compound suggest that it helps protect against age-related degenerative diseases. The scientific connection between melatonin and meditation was first explored in 1995 by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center's Stress Reduction and Relaxation Programme.

A recent study published in the journal Biological Psychology confirmed this finding. A 1995 study conducted on rats however, suggests that consistent small doses of Melatonin may prevent the normal age-related decline in male testosterone levels, possibly increasing sexual activity levels in later years. The researchers found that meditation before bedtime increased melatonin levels for that night. No increases in blood melatonin levels were noted on nights where participants did not meditate. This suggests that regular practice of meditation is necessary.

One of the most popular results of meditation is that it can clean and transform your skin seemingly overnight. It is the "premier drug" for maintaining youthfulness and fighting aging.