Managing Metabolic Syndrome Through Yoga Practice
Yoga to the Rescue?
Folks who practice yoga, often dubbed "yogis," can't stop bragging about its health benefits. But is there scientific proof to back it up? We delve into a new study at Medical News Today, focusing on the impact of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome.
Several studies, we've reported on before, have hinted at yoga's benefits for brain health, thyroid problems, and alleviating depression symptoms. It's even been suggested that yoga could help men enhance their prostate size or tackle erectile dysfunction, and assist those with diabetes to manage their condition better.
Yoga might seem like a cure-all, but most of these studies are observational and don't establish causality. With only a few Studies investigating the mechanisms behind the findings, it's essential to conduct further research.
Enter a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports and led by Dr. Parco M. Siu, from the University of Hong Kong in China. This study focused on the effect of yoga on cardiometabolic health.
The Low-Down on Yoga and Inflammation
Metabolic syndrome is a common condition linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In the United States, around 40% of the adult population is projected to have this condition.
In previous research, Dr. Siu discovered that lower blood pressure and a smaller waist circumference were observed in those who practiced yoga for a year. The scientists wanted to explore the effect of 1 year of yoga in individuals diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
To test this, they split 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure into two groups: a control group and a yoga group. The yoga group attended 3 one-hour sessions per week for a year. The researchers monitored the participants' sera for adipokines – proteins released by the fat tissue responsible for triggering an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study reveals, "[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."
Dr. Siu's takeaway: "These findings help to reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
This study indicates that yoga could be an effective lifestyle intervention to combat inflammation in individuals with metabolic syndrome and manage their symptoms. But how exactly does yoga work?
Besides reducing chronic stress and altering the activity of the autonomic nervous system, yoga also improves metabolic function, enhances mitochondrial health, and modulates the gut microbiome. These interconnected physiological improvements help decrease pro-inflammatory markers and support overall metabolic health in affected adults.
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- The study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports focused on the effect of yoga on cardiometabolic health, specifically in individuals with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- The study revealed that 1-year yoga training decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokine in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- Dr. Siu's takeaway from the study was that these findings help to reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health.
- Yoga could be an effective lifestyle intervention to combat inflammation in individuals with metabolic syndrome and manage their symptoms, as it improves metabolic function, enhances mitochondrial health, and modulates the gut microbiome.
