Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Hypertension among Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Marital Reducing stressors is an effective way to decrease blood pressure and its other associated symptoms. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on metabolic syndrome among patients with hypertension.

This experimental research was conducted based on a pretest-posttest control group design. A total number of 50 cardiovascular patients referring to Shahrekord Cohort Study, Shahrekord, Iran, in 2019 were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n=25 each). Metabolic syndrome indices, including blood pressure, blood sugar, glucose triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein, were used to collect the required data. All groups received the same standard medications under the supervision of an interventional cardiologist. In addition to the standard medical treatment, the experimental group received the intervention of MBSR (eight 90-minute sessions). The control group did not receive any non-pharmacological intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results showed that MBSR was effective in improving metabolic syndrome symptoms in cardiovascular patients with hypertension (P<0.05).

The employment of MBSR along with medical and pharmacological treatments could help cardiovascular disease patients to improve the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.