Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes
E S Epel; E Puterman; J Lin; E H Blackburn; P Y Lum; N D Beckmann; J Zhu; E Lee; A Gilbert; R A Rissman; R E Tanzi; E E Schadt · Translational Psychiatry · 2016 · Randomized retreat comparison with an observational experienced-meditator group
Original publication · Original publication · Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
A six-day resort stay was associated with substantial blood gene-expression changes in both meditation and vacation groups. Experienced meditators showed additional molecular patterns, but the randomized novice-meditation comparison did not establish a gene-expression advantage over vacation.
Recorded limitations
The experienced-meditator group was not randomized. Shared changes across groups cannot be attributed specifically to meditation.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Randomized retreat comparison with an observational experienced-meditator group
- assessment
- category
- rct
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Novices were randomized to meditation or vacation; experienced meditators formed a separate observational group. Masked molecular superiority of meditation was not established.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- trust Factor
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Novices were randomized to meditation or vacation; experienced meditators formed a separate observational group. Masked molecular superiority of meditation was not established.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Gene expression
- sample
- Healthy women: meditation-naive participants randomized to retreat or vacation, plus experienced meditators
- measurement
- Blood transcriptome and disease-associated molecular phenotypes
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- The experienced-meditator group was not randomized. Shared changes across groups cannot be attributed specifically to meditation.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- language:mindfulness-rna
- title
- Mindfulness interventions and gene expression
- collection
- language
- trust Score
- 2
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-27576169
- doi
- 10.1038/tp.2016.164
- pmid
- 27576169
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 92
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/tp.2016.164
- citations By Collection
- language
- 92
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-27576169
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes
- journal
- Translational Psychiatry
- publisher Family
- nature
- publisher Family Label
- Nature Portfolio
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2016
- authors
- E S Epel; E Puterman; J Lin; E H Blackburn; P Y Lum; N D Beckmann; J Zhu; E Lee; A Gilbert; R A Rissman; R E Tanzi; E E Schadt
- design
- Randomized retreat comparison with an observational experienced-meditator group
- kind
- Journal article
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1038/tp.2016.164
- pmid
- 27576169
- urls
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- collections
language
- categories
Gene expression
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 0
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- A six-day resort stay was associated with substantial blood gene-expression changes in both meditation and vacation groups. Experienced meditators showed additional molecular patterns, but the randomized novice-meditation comparison did not establish a gene-expression advantage over vacation.
- limitation
- The experienced-meditator group was not randomized. Shared changes across groups cannot be attributed specifically to meditation.
- citation Count
- 92
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 92
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/tp.2016.164
- study Design Assessment
- category
- rct
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Novices were randomized to meditation or vacation; experienced meditators formed a separate observational group. Masked molecular superiority of meditation was not established.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Novices were randomized to meditation or vacation; experienced meditators formed a separate observational group. Masked molecular superiority of meditation was not established.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- language
- 92
- topics
- key
- language:mindfulness-rna
- title
- Mindfulness interventions and gene expression
- collection
- language
- trust Score
- 2
- journal Key
- translationalpsychiatry
- journal Label
- Translational Psychiatry
- chapter Entries
- title
- Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes
- journal
- Translational Psychiatry
- year
- 2016
- authors
- E S Epel; E Puterman; J Lin; E H Blackburn; P Y Lum; N D Beckmann; J Zhu; E Lee; A Gilbert; R A Rissman; R E Tanzi; E E Schadt
- design
- Randomized retreat comparison with an observational experienced-meditator group
- urls
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- doi
- 10.1038/tp.2016.164
- pmid
- 27576169
- targets
- None recorded
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- categories
Gene expression
- citation Count
- 92
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 92
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/tp.2016.164
- study Design Assessment
- category
- rct
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Novices were randomized to meditation or vacation; experienced meditators formed a separate observational group. Masked molecular superiority of meditation was not established.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Gene expression
- sample
- Healthy women: meditation-naive participants randomized to retreat or vacation, plus experienced meditators
- measurement
- Blood transcriptome and disease-associated molecular phenotypes
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- The experienced-meditator group was not randomized. Shared changes across groups cannot be attributed specifically to meditation.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- id
- language-mindfulness-rna-pmid-27576169
- record Id
- pmid-27576169
- quotes
- None recorded
- source Pages
- None recorded
- summary
- A six-day resort stay was associated with substantial blood gene-expression changes in both meditation and vacation groups. Experienced meditators showed additional molecular patterns, but the randomized novice-meditation comparison did not establish a gene-expression advantage over vacation.
- limitation
- The experienced-meditator group was not randomized. Shared changes across groups cannot be attributed specifically to meditation.
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Novices were randomized to meditation or vacation; experienced meditators formed a separate observational group. Masked molecular superiority of meditation was not established.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- collection
- language
- chapter Number
- 4
- topic Id
- mindfulness-rna
- topic Title
- Mindfulness interventions and gene expression
- trust Score
- 2
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Gene expression
- sample
- Healthy women: meditation-naive participants randomized to retreat or vacation, plus experienced meditators
- measurement
- Blood transcriptome and disease-associated molecular phenotypes
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- The experienced-meditator group was not randomized. Shared changes across groups cannot be attributed specifically to meditation.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2016164 · https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.164 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5022094/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27576169/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- None recorded
- conditions
- None recorded
- topic Trust Scores
2
- full Text
- status
- open-license
- retrieval Available
- true
- url
- https://pmc-oa-opendata.s3.amazonaws.com/PMC5022094.1/PMC5022094.1.xml?md5=f2e852cf6b7f74d83e455c8b0bc10369
- pmcid
- PMC5022094
- rights
- license
- CC BY
- use
- Attribution-preserving reuse
- public Fulltext Redistribution
- false
- provider Upload
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- false
- basis
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/tools/pmcaws/
- article Rights
Copyright © 2016 The Author(s) 2016 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- sha256
- 8f0f14c499396c77a687ed2bfd09948cd16b3dce20273b379fe739cc9c73bc6a
- checked At
- 2026-10-24