Yoga: Reaping Benefits for Metabolic Syndrome Sufferers
Yoga as a Means to Control Metabolic Syndrome
When it comes to yoga enthusiasts, they always brag about the numerous ways yoga can improve both body and mind. But let's get real - what does science truly say? A recent study explored the impact of yoga on individuals with metabolic syndrome.
Here at Medical News Today, we've been keeping tabs on a slew of studies showing the diverse ways yoga might bolster our health. From boosting brain health and cognition, to alleviating thyroid issues and betraying the blues, it seems yoga is the jack-of-all-trades.
But the catch? Most of these studies are observational – they can't link cause and effect – and there haven't been many investigations into the mechanisms behind these findings.
Here's where Dr. Parco M. Siu, from the University of Hong Kong in China, comes into play. He led a study that looked at the effect of yoga on cardiometabolic health, shining light on how yoga might benefit people with metabolic syndrome.
Yoga: Calming the Inflammatory Storm
Metabolic syndrome, a condition often associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, is estimated to affect roughly half of the adult population in the United States.
Dr. Siu and his team had previously found lower blood pressure and smaller waistlines among those who practiced yoga for a year. So, in this study, they wanted to examine the 1-year yoga impact on individuals with metabolic syndrome.
The researchers randomly assigned 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure to either a control group or a yoga group. The yoga group participated in three 1-hour yoga sessions a week for a year, while the control group received no intervention, only regular health monitoring.
To find out how the yoga sessions influenced the immune system, the scientists measured the participants' adipokines – proteins released by fat tissue that can trigger an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study authors summarize their 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 be a valuable lifestyle intervention that can lower inflammation and help individuals with metabolic syndrome manage their symptoms.
Dr. Siu also commented on the study's results, saying, "These findings help to reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
So, let's roll out the yoga mat and see if we can reap the benefits for metabolic syndrome!
- The study led by Dr. Parco M. Siu investigate the impact of yoga on individuals with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure, examining the potential benefits of yoga on cardiometabolic health.
- The study found that a year of yoga practice decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure, suggesting yoga could be a valuable lifestyle intervention for managing metabolic syndrome.
- In the realm of health and wellness, yoga, when practiced regularly, may contribute to the management of chronic diseases like metabolic syndromes by favorably modulating adipokines, which are proteins released by fat tissue that can trigger an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
- As metabolic syndrome is often linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, understanding the potential benefits of yoga for this condition could have significant implications for the fitness and exercise industry and the management of various medical-conditions and chronic-diseases.
