Metabolic and Immunologic Effects of Meditation

This center will study a program combining mindfulness meditation, mindful eating (the practice of awareness and attentiveness in the present moment while eating), and a diet and exercise program, for use in obesity and metabolic syndrome. They will test whether this program helps alter participants' hormonal responses to stress and helps enhance and maintain weight loss. Metabolic syndrome involves a cluster of abnormalities—including increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance—that increases one's risk for developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.