Journal articleprimarycontextVerified
Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients
Herbert Benson, Jeffery A. Dusek, et al. · 2006 · American Heart Journal
Spiritual Evidence Map/Last updated May 10, 2026/Claims v1.0.0-provisional/Sources v1.0.0/Scores provisional
Summary
Multicenter randomized trial of distant intercessory prayer for 1,802 cardiac bypass patients. Patients receiving prayer (without knowing it) had no better outcomes than the no-prayer control; patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of complications.
Why it matters here
The largest, best-funded trial of distant intercessory prayer to date. Null result.