I believe it is true to some extent, but you seem remarkably glib about it. In any case, here are links to abstracts of journal papers about meditation being used to control autonomic responses. I realize that just because something has been published doesn't mean it's true, but the presence of these papers in refereed literature shows that there is at least some evidence to support it. This is not different from the kind of mental alertness, physical endurance or hyper-activity levels that martial arts are supposed to impart. I wouldn't mind having to conciously breathe so much if I could wait 30 minutes between breaths, and if my brain was otherwise adapted to it.
Immortality comes to mind, but that's probably too general.