Meditation has long been known to reduce psychological stress and blood pressure. A new study suggests that a specific type of meditation, transcendental meditation, is associated with a decrease in rates of heart attacks, strokes and mortality among patients with coronary heart disease.

Transcendental meditation is a procedure that is practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. This allows the mind to “settle inward beyond thought to experience the source of thought — pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness.” It is based on an Indian tradition and is thought to be practiced by more than five million people worldwide.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S., as there are nearly 1.5 million heart attacks per year. It also takes the lion’s share of health care costs, with more than $475 billion spent annually on treating CHD.

The study followed about 200 high-risk patients over a period of nine years. Half the patients practiced transcendental meditation while the other half received traditional health education classes. All patients received standard medications and other usual medical care.

The main finding of the study was a 47% reduction in the combination of death, heart attacks and strokes among the patients that practiced transcendental meditation. In addition, there was a clinically significant reduction in blood pressure in the same group.

So what is the link between meditation and heart disease? The study’s main authors suggests that “the stress reduction produced by the meditation could cause changes in the brain that cut stress hormones like cortisol and dampen the inflammatory process associated with atherosclerosis.” (Atherosclerosis is the build up of a waxy plaque on the inside of blood vessels).

What these new findings suggest is that a lifestyle intervention (such as stress management through meditation), rather than a new expensive drug, can help prevent cardiovascular diseases in high-risk patients. Given that meditation is virtually free and is easy to learn and practice, this is likely to have huge implications in reducing the prevalence of coronary heart disease, as well as its costs.