Telomere length in long-term meditators: a cross-sectional comparison

Researchers compared adults who had meditated for many years with adults who did not meditate regularly. They measured telomeres, protective DNA caps on the ends of chromosomes, using blood samples. The meditators had longer telomeres on average. However, this was a cross-sectional study, meaning the researchers looked at people only once and did not assign anyone to meditate.

What this means for you: This does not show that meditation caused longer telomeres. It is not strong enough to justify buying a meditation product for this reason, although meditation may have other possible benefits.