The role yoga plays in managing metabolic syndrome: insights and benefits
Experts have long touted the benefits of yoga for overall health and well-being. Known as "yogis," practitioners often extol yoga's ability to improve both physical and mental health. However, scientific research provides mixed conclusions regarding its effects. A recent study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, sheds light on yoga's impact on people with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Conducted by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong, the study aimed to investigate the influence of yoga on cardiometabolic health. Previous research led by Dr. Siu had shown that a year-long yoga practice resulted in reduced blood pressure and narrowed waist circumference. Building on those findings, the current study aimed to understand the effect of a year-long yoga practice on MetS patients with high-normal blood pressure.
In the study, 97 participants with MetS were divided into a control group and a yoga group. The yoga group attended three, one-hour sessions per week for a year, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Researchers monitored the participants' blood serum for adipokines, proteins released by fat tissue that stimulate an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study found that a year of yoga training led to a decrease in pro-inflammatory adipokines and an increase in anti-inflammatory adipokines in MetS patients with high-normal blood pressure. Such findings suggest that yoga may have a beneficial role in managing MetS by positively influencing adipokines.
Dr. Siu commented on the results, stating, "These findings help us understand the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, demonstrating the importance of regular exercise in maintaining human health."
The findings support growing evidence that yoga may decrease systemic inflammation, a key contributor to MetS, upon regular practice. Although more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind these effects, yoga appears to be a viable lifestyle intervention for individuals with MetS.
It should be noted that the majority of studies on yoga and health are observational, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about causality. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the observed benefits.
- Yoga's impact on people with metabolic syndrome (MetS) was investigated in a recent study, which revealed that a year of yoga practice led to a decrease in pro-inflammatory adipokines and an increase in anti-inflammatory adipokines, suggesting a potential role in managing MetS.
- The study, led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong, built on previous research showing that a year-long yoga practice can result in reduced blood pressure and narrowed waist circumference.
- Despite mixed conclusions from scientific research regarding yoga's effects on overall health, the study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports provides evidence that yoga may have beneficial effects on people with metabolic disorders, such as MetS.
- In the context of health and wellness, yoga, as a fitness and exercise activity, may play a significant role in managing chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes and metabolic disorders, by positively influencing nutritional factors such as adipokines.
