Managing Metabolic Syndrome through Yoga Practices
Yoga enthusiasts, commonly known as 'yogis' in the Western world, often boast about its benefits for physical and mental health. But does the science back up their claims? A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports investigated this, focusing on how yoga affects individuals with metabolic syndrome.
At Medical News Today, we've been reporting on numerous studies highlighting various ways in which yoga can potentially benefit our health. For example, some studies suggest that it enhances brain health and cognition, alleviates thyroid issues, and eases depression symptoms. It's even been proposed that it could help men enhance their prostate size or overcome erectile dysfunction and assist people with diabetes in managing their symptoms.
However, most of these studies are observational, meaning they can't definitively establish causality. Moreover, few studies have delved into the underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to fill that gap.
The study, led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong in China, looked at the impact of yoga on cardiometabolic health. The results revealed that it benefited people with metabolic syndrome and shed light on the mechanisms behind these benefits.
Yoga quells inflammatory responses
Metabolic syndrome, often associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, is estimated to affect around 47% of the adult population in the United States.
In a previous study, Dr. Siu and his team found lower blood pressure and a smaller waist circumference among individuals who practiced yoga for a year. This study aimed to examine the effect of a year of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome.
Participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or a yoga group. Those in the control group received no intervention, while those in the yoga group underwent a 1-hour yoga session three times a week for a year.
The researchers monitored the participants' blood for adipokines, proteins released by fat tissue that signal the immune system to release either an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study authors concluded, "[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," added the researchers.
These results suggest that yoga could be a valuable lifestyle intervention to reduce inflammation and help people with metabolic syndrome manage their condition.
Dr. Siu also commented on the study's findings, stating, "These findings help reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
The study's findings highlight the potential of yoga as a tool to combat metabolic syndrome by reducing inflammation. However, more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind these benefits.
- Yoga, with its potential to reduce inflammation, has been suggested as a valuable lifestyle intervention for managing metabolic syndrome.
- The study authored by Dr. Parco M. Siu and his team revealed that a year of yoga practice decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- This study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, sheds light on the mechanisms behind yoga's benefits for individuals with metabolic syndrome, specifically in their cardiometabolic health.
- As more studies delve into the underlying mechanisms, the role of yoga in managing chronic diseases like metabolic disorders, type-2 diabetes, and other medical-conditions associated with inflammation becomes increasingly evident, contributing to the health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and nutrition discussions.
