The effect of a mindfulness-based therapy on different biomarkers among patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a randomised controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on inflammatory biomarkers in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis compared to standard medical therapy.
Results Summary
The mindfulness intervention significantly reduced faecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein levels at the six-month follow-up compared to standard therapy, with moderate to large effect sizes.
Population
Patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
Effective Dosage
Four internet-based therapy modules blended with four face-to-face support sessions.
Duration
Six months.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness-based interventions | decrease | stress levels | - | - | have shown some efficacy in decreasing | #1 |
mindfulness-based interventions | increase | quality of life | - | - | have shown some efficacy in improving | #2 |
mindfulness-based intervention | decrease | faecal calprotectin | patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis | -367, [95% CI: -705, -29], P = 0.03 | highlighted significant decreases in | #3 |
mindfulness-based intervention | decrease | C-reactive protein levels | patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis | -2.82, [95% CI: -5.70, 0.08], P = 0.05 | highlighted significant decreases in | #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