• Rose H Matousek, Jens C Pruessner, and Patricia L Dobkin.
• Department of Medicine, McGill University, 687 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 May 1; 17 (2): 65-70.

BackgroundChanges in the cortisol awakening response (CAR) were studied in women participating in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program after completion of their medical treatment for breast cancer.MethodThirty-three women completed questionnaires pre- and post-MBSR pertaining to: stress, depressive symptomatology, and medical symptoms. The CAR was assessed on 3 days pre- and 3 days post-MBSR as a biological marker of stress.ResultsA significant effect on the CAR was found, with cortisol levels showing a prolonged increase after awakening at the post-MBSR assessment period. This was accompanied by significant improvements in self-reported stress levels, depressive symptomatology, and medical symptoms. Furthermore, the change in medical symptoms was negatively correlated with the area under the curve (AUC) at study onset (r = -.52, p < .002); i.e., the greater the AUC of the CAR before MBSR, the greater the reduction in medical symptoms after the program.ConclusionsThese results suggest the potential usefulness of employing the CAR as a biological marker in women with breast cancer participating in an MBSR program.Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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