Embracing Yoga as a Tool to Control Metabolic Syndrome
Feel the Burn: Yoga and Metabolic Syndrome
Yogis around the globe swear by the numerous health benefits of their practice, but does science back up the hype? Let's dive into a groundbreaking study focusing on how yoga could tackle metabolic syndrome.
At Medical News Today, we've been eagerly reporting on studies revealing yoga's potential positive impacts on health. From boosting brainpower to alleviating thyroid problems and fighting depression, it seems yoga is a powerhouse for wellness. But, you might wonder if these benefits hold weight or if they're just hot air.
Lastly, yoga has been touted for helping men conquer prostate issues and erectile dysfunction, or offering a helping hand to those grappling with diabetes in managing their symptoms. So, it appears the glories of yoga extend far and wide.
However, most studies investigating these claims are observational, meaning they don't establish causality. Moreover, few studies have delved into the underlying mechanisms that might explain the findings.
Enter the cutting-edge research, spearheaded by Dr. Parco M. Siu of the University of Hong Kong in China, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. Dr. Siu and his team sought to investigate yoga's impact on cardiometabolic health.
Their findings demonstrated that, not only does yoga benefit individuals with metabolic syndrome, but it also reveals the underlying mechanisms behind these advantages.
Yoga: A Natural Inflammatory Fighter
Metabolic syndrome is a common condition, often linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In the U.S., about half of the adult population struggles with this condition.
Previously, Dr. Siu's team discovered improved blood pressure and reduced waist circumference among those who practiced yoga for a year. This time, the researchers wanted to gauge the impact of one year of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome.
They divided 97 participants into two groups: a control group and a yoga group. Participants in the control group received no intervention, while those in the yoga group embarked on a one-year yoga training program with three one-hour sessions per week.
To determine the impact of yoga on patients' immune systems, the scientists monitored their sera for adipokines – signaling proteins released by fat tissue that either spur an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The researchers sum up the study's key findings, stating, "[The] results demonstrated that 1-year yoga training decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokine 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," add the researchers.
The findings suggest that yoga could serve as a valuable lifestyle intervention to decrease inflammation in those grappling with metabolic syndrome.
Dr. Siu weighed in on the study's findings, stating, "These findings help to reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
[1] Effects of Exercise on Inflammation, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4064790/[2] Yoga as Stress Reduction Intervention: A Comprehensive Review, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/
- The groundbreaking study led by Dr. Parco M. Siu discovered that a year of yoga practice significantly reduces proinflammatory adipokines and increases anti-inflammatory adipokines in individuals with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure, making yoga a potential natural inflammatory fighter.
- This research indicates that yoga may play a valuable role in managing metabolic disorders, offering a lifestyle intervention to combat inflammation associated with these conditions.
- Furthermore, the study suggests that regular yoga exercise could have far-reaching benefits for individuals with chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, tapping into the power of health-and-wellness practices to alleviate medical-conditions like type-2-diabetes.
- Embracing yoga as both a fitness-and-exercise and nutrition-focused endeavor could offer individuals ways to maintain their health and well-being, particularly in relation to metabolic disorders and other chronic diseases.
