Key to better health? Take a 6-day holiday

WHEN you’re feeling low or you sense a cold coming on, a holiday could be the best medicine.

Scientists say that taking just six days away profoundly improves your health – both psychological and physical.

A short break from work triggers genetic changes which boost the immune system, dampen stress and lower levels of proteins linked to dementia and depression.

The ‘vacation effect’ on our health can last for a month, a study by Harvard Medical School and the University of California found.

‘It was impressive to see the large changes in gene expression from being away from the busy pace of life, in a relaxing environment, in such a short period of time,’ said Professor Elissa Epel, of the University of California. ‘Our results point to both a significant “vacation effect” that benefited all groups, and a suppression of stress-related responses.’

The researchers also found that holidays with meditation classes had an added benefit. The study involved 94 healthy women aged between 30 and 60, who stayed at a resort in California for six days.

Half were simply told to relax while the others joined a programme which included meditation, yoga and self-reflection exercises.

Researchers collected blood samples and interviewed participants immediately before and after their stay, as well as one month and ten months later.

They then compared the activity of 20,000 genes to determine if any altered during and after the holiday. The results, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, revealed significant changes in genetic patterns.

The most notable changes were related to stress response and immune function.

Genes that are normally needed for dealing with injury, wound healing and stress were far less active immediately after the holiday.

There were also lower levels of proteins involved in the immune system, and less activity of substances called interferon, which help ward off viruses.

Not only that, but all holidaymakers showed psychological improvements a month later.

But the biggest changes were for volunteers who had undergone the meditation programme, who also had fewer symptoms of depression and less stress ten months later. The authors wrote: ‘After one week at a resort, participants felt greater vitality and decreased distress, regardless of whether they were in the resort group or in an intensive meditation/yoga group.

‘We found both a short-term vacation effect for everyone and a significant benefit of learning meditation on longer-term mood.’

Professor Rudolph Tanzi, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School, said: ‘The benefit we experience from meditation isn’t strictly psychological – there is a clear and quantifiable change in how our bodies function.

‘Meditation is one of the ways to engage in restorative activities that may provide relief for our immune systems, easing the day-today stress of a body constantly trying to protect itself.

‘The prediction is that this would then lead to healthier ageing.’