MindGap and mindful molecules – science is decoding the health benefits of meditation

Professor Maria Goreti Sales of the University of Coimbra believes meditation holds the key to understanding disease. Leading the EU-funded MindGAP project, her team explored how tiny cellular messengers, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), might connect the brain and body. Analyzing blood samples from meditating cancer survivors, they identified seven microRNAs that could explain meditation’s health benefits. Despite pandemic disruptions, the team successfully developed a groundbreaking device that detects these biological signals, potentially enabling early disease detection. Their work could shift healthcare from reactive treatments to prevention, paving the way for mind-driven health management.

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