Hi John,
Even if there are studies that report a benefit they are typically statistical results i.e. your mileage may vary. The risks seem pretty low so you could try it and see. Even if it does not help most people it might help you or vice-versa.
You have a couple of threads on diet & exercise. Interesting topics. I doubt we can isolate any aspect of experience from others. The concept of mind and body being separate is just a concept. More interdependent than dependent.
One model for looking at this is to consider a person comprised of four aspects the interior subjective, exterior objective, interior inter-subjective and exterior inter-objective. Another labeling is I, It, We, Its. Can be simplified to I, It, We. So meditation is I, It is the physical body including diet & exercise, We could be sangha, culture, infrastructure, technology. That is all interrelated and supports development, things will develop faster if there are synergies.
These ideas are well captured in Integral Theory. There are a few alternatives and I've read most about AQAL from Ken Wlber.
