Mindfulness meditation training effects on CD4+ T lymphocytes in HIV-1 infected adults: a small randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation training has stress reduction benefits in various patient populations, but its effects on biological markers of HIV-1 progression are unknown. The present study tested the efficacy of an 8-week Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) meditation program compared to a 1-day control seminar on CD4+ T lymphocyte counts in stressed HIV infected adults. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with enrollment and follow-up occurring between November 2005 and December 2007. A diverse community sample of 48 HIV-1 infected adults was randomized and entered treatment in either an 8-week MBSR or a 1-day control stress reduction education seminar. The primary outcome was circulating counts of CD4+ T lymphocytes. Participants in the 1-day control seminar showed declines in CD4+ T lymphocyte counts whereas counts among participants in the 8-week MBSR program were unchanged from baseline to post-intervention (time x treatment condition interaction, p=.02). This effect was independent of antiretroviral (ARV) medication use. Additional analyses indicated that treatment adherence to the mindfulness meditation program, as measured by class attendance, mediated the effects of mindfulness meditation training on buffering CD4+ T lymphocyte declines. These findings provide an initial indication that mindfulness meditation training can buffer CD4+ T lymphocyte declines in HIV-1 infected adults.

Clinical trials registration: clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier: NCT00600561.

Figures

Fig. 1

CONSORT flowchart of participants retained at each stage of the trial.

Fig. 2

Log transformed CD4+ T lymphocytes at baseline and post-intervention in the treatment sample (N = 48). Vertical lines indicate standard errors of the means.

Fig. 3

Mediation analyses in the treatment sample (N = 48). MBSR class attendance mediates the time × treatment interaction on log10 CD4+ T lymphocytes. Numbers represent b coefficients, with parentheses representing b coefficients when MBSR treatment condition and MBSR class attendance are entered simultaneously. *p < .05.