Effect of Yoga and Meditation on Human Gut Microbiota: A Systematic Review

The evidence from the clinical studies on the influence of yoga and meditation on gut microbiota in humans has been summarized in this systematic review. Searches were conducted until November 2023 in four electronic databases: SCOPUS, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Controlled Registry of Trials (CENTRAL) to find relevant studies published in English. Studies on the influence of yoga and meditation on gut microbiome in human participants of any age or gender were included in the systematic review. The outcomes were modulations in the composition and function of gut microbiota and their metabolite levels. Due to the varied approaches used in the study designs and outcome measures of the included studies, a narrative synthesis was carried out. The database search resulted in 247 titles and abstracts, out of which four articles were included for qualitative synthesis. There was one nonrandomized controlled study and three observational studies. The studies were conducted on a healthy population (n = 440). The participants were followers of a vegan or vegetarian diet. The control group subjects were nonmeditators, i.e., who never received any meditation training. All the reviewed studies have shown a favorable change in the composition and function of gut microbiota and their metabolites with meditation practice when compared to controls. Yoga and meditation improved the composition and function of gut microbiota. However, all the subjects were following a vegetarian/vegan diet, so the beneficial changes demonstrated in the gut microbiota may be attributed to the combined effects of meditation and a vegetarian/vegan diet.