Clinical trial · Observational
Quest to Analyze One Thousand Humans Meditating
Effects Of Meditation On The Gut Microbiome And Human Health and Disease
NCT06583395CI-TRIAL-00082157QUANTUMenrolling by invitationClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
This study will be focused on assessing the molecular, physiological, and emotional correlates of an intensive meditation experience in the context of a retreat setting in a large 2000 plus-person cohort comprised of healthy and clinical populations.
Conditions
Conditions (55)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Angina, Stable | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Anxiety | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Asthma | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Atrial Fibrillation | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Cancer Brain | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Cancer, Breast | Malignant Breast Neoplasm | CURATED_EXACT | 0.92 |
| Cancer Colon | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Cancer, Lung | Malignant Lung Neoplasm | CURATED_EXACT | 0.92 |
| Cancer, Other | Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.85 |
| Cancer, Ovarian | Malignant Ovarian Neoplasm |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced multi-component meditation practice | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (0)
[]Primary outcomes (4)
- measure
- Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on Heart Rate Variability in a Global Population
- timeFrame
- 4 years
- description
- In Phases 1, 2, and 3 of this study, heart rate data will be collected using a Garmin wrist device at the beginning of the meditation retreat and continuously for up to ten months after the retreat. Beat-to-beat interval data will be used to calculate heart rate variability. Time domain measures will include the mean of R-R intervals (mRR), standard deviation of all R-R intervals (SDRR), root mean square of successive R-R differences (RMSSD), and the percentage of R-R intervals that vary by at least 50 ms (pRR50). Frequency domain measures will include very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF) measures.
- measure
- Effect of Meditation in an Advanced Retreat Setting on the Gut Microbiome and Metabolites in a Global Population.
- timeFrame
- 4 years
- description
- In Phases 1, 2, and 3 of this study, metagenomic analysis will be carried out on stool samples collected before and after the retreat. This analysis will assess changes in gut microbes and metabolites as a function of multiple variables, including age and sex.
- measure
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 21 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Must be at 21 years of age or older 2. Must speak English 3. Must be a registered attendee of the advanced 7-Day meditation retreat 4. Must be willing to wear a Garmin device for the entire retreat 5. Must complete the research consent to participate in the study 6. Must be willing to complete self-report surveys for physical and emotional well-being Exclusion Criteria: 1. Younger than 21 years of age 2. Non-English speaking 3. Not a registered attendee of the advanced 7-Day meditation retreat 4. Not willing to wear a Garmin device for the entire meditation retreat 5. Did not complete the research consent 6. Not willing or able to complete all self-report surveys
References
Publications (13)
- BACKGROUNDChiesa A, Serretti A. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: a review and meta-analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2009 May;15(5):593-600. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0495. PMID 19432513
- BACKGROUNDBuric I, Farias M, Jong J, Mee C, Brazil IA. What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices. Front Immunol. 2017 Jun 16;8:670. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00670. eCollection 2017. PMID 28670311
- BACKGROUNDMuehsam D, Lutgendorf S, Mills PJ, Rickhi B, Chevalier G, Bat N, Chopra D, Gurfein B. The embodied mind: A review on functional genomic and neurological correlates of mind-body therapies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2017 Feb;73:165-181. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.027. Epub 2016 Dec 23. PMID 28017838
- BACKGROUNDKox M, van Eijk LT, Zwaag J, van den Wildenberg J, Sweep FC, van der Hoeven JG, Pickkers P. Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 May 20;111(20):7379-84. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1322174111. Epub 2014 May 5. PMID 24799686
- BACKGROUNDChandran V, Bermudez ML, Koka M, Chandran B, Pawale D, Vishnubhotla R, Alankar S, Maturi R, Subramaniam B, Sadhasivam S. Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Dec 21;118(51):e2110455118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2110455118. PMID 34907015
- BACKGROUNDBhasin MK, Dusek JA, Chang BH, Joseph MG, Denninger JW, Fricchione GL, Benson H, Libermann TA. Relaxation response induces temporal transcriptome changes in energy metabolism, insulin secretion and inflammatory pathways. PLoS One. 2013 May 1;8(5):e62817. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062817. Print 2013. PMID 23650531