Utilizing yoga for effective management of metabolic syndrome.
Why all the yoga fanatics insist on yoga's blessings for bodily and mental well-being? Well, science isn't totally on board, but a new study shines some light. Researchers, led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong, probed the impact of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome, a condition linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Here at Medical News Today, we've been championing the health benefits of yoga as shown by various studies. Reports suggest yoga may improve brain health, help manage thyroid issues, alleviate depressive symptoms, increase prostate size in men, and aid diabetes management. However, these studies are mostly observational and lack conclusive evidence of causality.
But this study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, aims to shed light on the mechanisms behind these findings.
The research found that a year of yoga practice decreased inflammatory response in individuals with metabolic syndrome. The study assigned 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure to either a control group or a yoga group. The yoga group underwent three 1-hour sessions each week for a year.
The scientists measured so-called adipokines, or signaling proteins released by fat tissue that influence the immune system's inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study authors concluded, "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," adds the research team. In simpler terms, yoga may help reduce inflammation in those with metabolic syndrome, potentially aiding symptom management.
Dr. Siu further commented, "These findings help reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
Though specific research on the anti-inflammatory benefits of yoga for people with metabolic syndrome might be scarce, we can infer that yoga may positively impact inflammation due to its effects on gene expression, mitochondrial function, and hormonal balance.
- In the study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, a year of yoga practice was found to decrease the inflammatory response in individuals with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- The study authors concluded that "1-year yoga training decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokine in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure".
- The research team added that these findings support the beneficial role of yoga in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably modulating adipokines, thus potentially aiding symptom management.
- Though specific research on the anti-inflammatory benefits of yoga for people with metabolic syndrome might be scarce, we can infer that yoga may positively impact inflammation due to its effects on gene expression, mitochondrial function, and hormonal balance.
