The effect of a mindfulness-based therapy on different biomarkers among patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a randomised controlled trial

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 6071
• Main Authors: González-Moret, Rafael, Cebolla, Ausias, Cortés, Xavier, Baños, Rosa M, Navarrete, Jaime, de la Rubia, José Enrique, Lisón, Juan Francisco, Soria, José Miguel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 08.04.2020; Nature Publishing Group UK
• Subjects: Adult; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - analysis; C-reactive protein; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; Colitis, Ulcerative - therapy; Colon; Crohn Disease - therapy; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Hydrocortisone - blood; Inflammatory bowel disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Intervention; Intestine; Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex - analysis; Male; Middle Aged; Mindfulness; Mindfulness - methods; Patients; Proteins; Quality of life; Ulcerative colitis
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63168-4

Mindfulness-based interventions have shown some efficacy in decreasing stress levels and improving quality of life. However, so far, only a few studies have studied this type of intervention among patients with inflammatory bowel disease and none of them have studied their effects on inflammatory biomarkers. This current study was a two-armed, single-centre, randomised (2:1 ratio) controlled trial used to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (n = 37) compared to standard medical therapy (n = 20) in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. The mindfulness intervention blended four internet-based therapy modules with four face-to-face support sessions. The outcomes we assessed were faecal calprotectin (primary outcome), C-reactive protein, and cortisol levels measured in hair samples at several timepoints. The between-group analysis highlighted significant decreases in faecal calprotectin and in C-reactive protein levels in the mindfulness-based intervention group compared to the standard medical therapy group at the six-month follow-up (faecal calprotectin: -367, [95% CI: -705, -29], P = 0.03; C-reactive protein: -2.82, [95% CI: -5.70, 0.08], P = 0.05), with moderate to large effect sizes (faecal calprotectin: ηp  = 0.085; C-reactive protein: ηp  = 0.066). We concluded that mindfulness-based therapy administered as part of standard clinical practice effectively improves inflammatory biomarkers in patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.