Rewritten Article:
Yoga as a tool for managing metabolic syndrome: an exploratory approach
You heard it a million times from yogis: yoga is magic for body and mind. But what's the real science behind this Eastern practice? A recent study delves into this, focusing on how yoga affects those living with metabolic syndrome.
At Medical News Today, we've been shouting from the rooftops about numerous studies revealing the myriad ways yoga might boost our health. Among other things, research suggests that it boosts brain health and cognition, improves thyroid problems, and even helps with symptoms of depression. It's even rumored to help enlarge prostate and overcome erectile dysfunction, or assist those with diabetes in managing their symptoms.
But here's the catch: most studies are observational, and they can't prove causality. Few have explored the mechanisms underpinning the findings.
That's where a study led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong comes in. Published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, this badass study looked into the effects of yoga on cardiometabolic health.
Guess what? Not only did it benefit people with metabolic syndrome, but it also revealed the mechanisms behind such benefits.
Yoga dampens inflammation
Metabolic syndrome is a bit of a healthcare buzzkill, often linked with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. About 34% of the adult population in the United States struggles with it.
Dr. Siu and his team previously found that low blood pressure and smaller waist circumference were more common among those who practiced yoga for a year. So, naturally, they wanted to check if a year of yoga could help people with metabolic syndrome.
To do this, they randomly divided 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure into a control group and a yoga group. The control group received no intervention, while the yoga group participated in a one-hour yoga session three times a week for a year.
Scientists also analyzed the patients’ serum for adipokines, signaling proteins released by fat tissue that tell the immune system to go either inflammatory or anti-inflammatory.
The researchers find that a year of yoga decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
"These findings support the beneficial role of yoga in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably modulating adipokines," they noted.
The results suggest that yoga could be a solid lifestyle choice for those with metabolic syndrome, helping to decrease inflammation and manage symptoms. Dr. Siu even adds, "These findings help reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underlines the importance of regular exercise to human health."
Yoga might be a worthy lifestyle intervention for inflammation reduction, potentially benefiting people with metabolic syndrome. And there you have it! Science, meet yoga. Yoga, meet science. May the best adaptive response win.
- Yoga's impact on those with metabolic syndrome, a health condition often associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, was the focus of a recent study led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong.
- The study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, investigated the effects of yoga on cardiometabolic health and revealed the mechanisms behind the benefits.
- The researchers found that a year of yoga decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- This suggests that yoga could be a beneficial lifestyle choice for managing symptoms and reducing inflammation in people with metabolic syndrome.
- Dr. Siu's team previously discovered that low blood pressure and smaller waist circumference were more common among individuals practicing yoga for a year.
- In the study, 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure were randomly divided into a control group and a yoga group, with the yoga group participating in a one-hour session three times a week for a year.
- The study's findings support the idea that yoga plays a significant role in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably modulating adipokines, signaling proteins released by fat tissue.
