Managing Metabolic Syndrome Through Yoga Practice
Yoga and Metabolic Syndrome: New Study Investigates Benefits and Mechanisms
Yoga enthusiasts frequently extol the practice's benefits on both physical and mental well-being. While numerous studies have highlighted potential advantages, there remains a question about the science behind these claims, particularly concerning individuals with metabolic syndrome.
A recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports offers insight into the impact of a long-term yoga practice on this condition. Led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong in China, researchers aimed to explore the effect of 1-year yoga training on cardiometabolic health in people with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
The study's results were twofold: first, it demonstrated that yoga benefits those with metabolic syndrome, as evidenced by reductions in proinflammatory adipokines and increases in anti-inflammatory adipokines; second, it revealed the mechanisms behind these benefits.
To understand how yoga may assist in managing metabolic syndrome, it is crucial to know that the condition, commonly associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, affects approximately one-third of the adult population in the United States.
For previous research, Dr. Siu and his team discovered that those who practiced yoga for a year had lower blood pressure and a smaller waist circumference. The current study sought to examine the impact of a year-long yoga practice in patients with metabolic syndrome specifically.
In this study, the researchers randomly assigned 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure to either a control group or a yoga group. Participants in the control group did not receive any intervention, while those in the yoga group underwent three 1-hour yoga sessions per week for an entire year.
The scientists also monitored the participants' sera for adipokines, or signaling proteins released by fat tissue that induce either an inflammatory or an anti-inflammatory response. The findings of the study demonstrated that one year of yoga training decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
Dr. Siu and his colleagues believe that these findings underscore the beneficial role of yoga in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably modulating adipokines.
When asked about the study's significance, Dr. Siu stated, "The 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 adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that yoga may be a worthwhile lifestyle intervention for those with metabolic syndrome, potentially contributing to decreased inflammation and improved cardiovascular health.
- The study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports investigated the impact of 1-year yoga practice on metabolic syndrome, specifically focusing on individuals with the condition and high-normal blood pressure.
- The study revealed that a year of yoga training decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- These findings, according to Dr. Siu, suggest that yoga may have a beneficial role in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably modulating adipokines, valuable information in the context of health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise.
- Metabolic syndrome, often linked to chronic-diseases like type-2-diabetes and heart disease, affects approximately one-third of the adult population in the United States, making understanding its management key for medical-conditions and overall nutrition.
