Yoga as a Method for Controlling Metabolic Syndrome
Is yoga all it's cracked up to be? These fitness enthusiasts, often called "yogis," seem to be on to something, according to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
Our team at Medical News Today has been reporting on the numerous health benefits of yoga. Some research suggests it enhances brain health and cognition, improves thyroid issues, and alleviates symptoms of depression.
It's even been proposed that yoga can aid men in growing their prostate and overcoming erectile dysfunction, as well as help those with diabetes manage their symptoms. But most of these studies are observational, which makes it hard to confidently link these benefits to yoga practice.
But what about individuals with metabolic syndrome? This condition, closely linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, affects an estimated 47% of the adult population in the U.S.
Enter the study led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong, China. His team investigated the impact of yoga on cardiometabolic health of people with metabolic syndrome. Their findings are quite promising.
Yoga to the Rescue
Dr. Siu had previously found that a year of yoga led to lower blood pressure and a smaller waist circumference in participants. The latest study aimed to explore the effect of 1 year of yoga in people with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
The researchers divided the participants into a control group and a yoga group. Participants in the control group received no specific intervention, while those in the yoga group attended 3, 1-hour sessions weekly for a year.
Interestingly, the researchers monitored the participants' sera for adipokines, signaling proteins released by fat tissue, which can stimulate either an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The results revealed that after 1 year of yoga, the yoga group experienced a decrease in proinflammatory adipokines and an increase in anti-inflammatory adipokines. The study authors note that these findings "support the beneficial role of yoga in managing [metabolic syndrome] by favorably modulating adipokines."
According to Dr. Siu, this research "help[s] to reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health." It seems that yoga might offer a promising lifestyle intervention for those battling metabolic syndrome, potentially reducing inflammation and thus managing symptoms.
- Yoga, found to lower blood pressure and decrease waist circumference in a previous study by Dr. Siu, is being investigated for its impact on cardiometabolic health in individuals with metabolic syndrome.
- The latest study led by Dr. Siu and his team at the University of Hong Kong, China, aimed to explore the effect of 1 year of yoga in people with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- Participants in the yoga group attended 3, 1-hour sessions weekly for a year, and the researchers monitored their sera for adipokines, signaling proteins released by fat tissue.
- The study results showed that after 1 year of yoga, the yoga group experienced a decrease in proinflammatory adipokines and an increase in anti-inflammatory adipokines, suggesting that yoga may offer a promising lifestyle intervention for managing metabolic syndrome by reducing inflammation.
