Key result
Mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction modestly improves composite cardiovascular health scores versus usual care.
Why the study?
Does an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP) program improve composite cardiovascular health scores in participants with elevated office blood pressure?
RCT (n=201)
parallel-group
Does an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP) program improve composite cardiovascular health scores in participants with elevated office blood pressure?
Standardized Mean Difference: 0.144 (95% CI 0.023–0.266)
An 8-week mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction program modestly improved composite cardiovascular health scores at 6 months in patients with elevated blood pressure.
Background: Mindfulness-based interventions may improve cardiovascular health (CVH) by supporting behavioral change across multiple risk factors. This study evaluated the impact of Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP), a mindfulness program targeting hypertension-related behaviors ( Image 1 ), on CVH using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 framework. Methods: This secondary analysis of parallel-group, phase 2 randomized clinical trial evaluated the effects of MB-BP on CVH in 201 participants with elevated office BP (≥120/80 mmHg). The MB-BP group (n=101) received an 8-week program focused on mindfulness training and education targeting diet, physical activity, medication adherence, alcohol use, and stress, whereas the control group (n=100) received enhanced usual care ( Image 2 ). CVH was assessed using available Life’s Essential 8 components: systolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), diet (DASH adherence), physical activity, smoking, and sleep duration. Generalized estimating equations evaluated intervention effects through six months. Results: At six months follow-up, MB-BP participants significantly improved composite CVH scores compared to controls (standardized mean difference: 0.144; 95% CI: 0.023, 0.266) ( Image 3 ). MB-BP influenced most CVH components in healthier directions at trend levels, with the strongest responses for physical activity (47.9 MET min/week; 95% CI: -16.5, 112.3), sleep (0.34 hours/night; 95% CI: -0.10, 0.78), systolic blood pressure (-4.95 mmHg; 95% CI: -10.34, 0.44) and DASH diet score (0.27, 95% CI: -0.15, 0.69). Conclusions: MB-BP led to modest but clinically significant improvements in CVH, driven by multiple Life’s Essential 8 components. These findings suggest that MB-BP may be an effective behavioral intervention to support CVH and reduce risk for cardiovascular disease. ClinicalTrials.gov Preregistration Identifiers: NCT03256890, NCT03859076
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Wu et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in elevated office blood pressure (n=201). Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP) vs. enhanced usual care was evaluated on composite cardiovascular health (CVH) scores (SMD 0.144, 95% CI 0.023, 0.266). The Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction program significantly improved composite cardiovascular health scores compared to enhanced usual care at six months (SMD 0.144; 95% CI 0.023-0.266).
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