Stress Reduction and Mindfulness

Chronic psychological stress drives inflammation through the cortisol pathway. When cortisol remains elevated for weeks, immune cells develop glucocorticoid resistance and overproduce inflammatory cytokines. A 2018 meta-analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine covering 47 RCTs found mindfulness-based stress reduction reduced CRP by 19 percent and IL-6 by 21 percent in chronically stressed populations. The minimum effective dose is 20 minutes daily for 8 weeks. App-based programs showed equivalent CRP reductions to in-person MBSR in two 2022 RCTs.