Exploring Yoga as a Potential Solution for Metabolic Syndrome Management
Yoga enthusiasts, or as they're known in the Western world, 'yogis,' love praising the benefits of their practice. But does science back up their claims? A recent study explores the effects of yoga on individuals with metabolic syndrome.
At Medical News Today, we've reported on lots of studies showing how yoga might improve our health. For instance, some research suggests that it may boost brain health and cognition, help manage thyroid problems, and lessen the symptoms of depression. It's even thought to help men with prostate issues or erectile dysfunction, and assist diabetics in managing their symptoms.
However, most of these studies are observational and can't prove cause and effect. Plus, not many have looked at the underlying mechanisms behind these effects.
Now, a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports provides insights. Led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong in China, the research focuses on the impact of yoga on cardiometabolic health.
The results indicate that yoga benefits those with metabolic syndrome, improving their health by reducing inflammation.
Reducing Inflammation
Metabolic syndrome often leads to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In the United States, it's estimated that around 47% of the adult population suffers from this condition.
In a previous study, Dr. Siu's team found lower blood pressure and smaller waist circumferences in those who practiced yoga for a year. For this new study, they wanted to investigate the impact of a year of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
They randomly assigned 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure to either a control group or a yoga group. While the control group received no intervention, participants in the yoga group attended three 1-hour yoga sessions each week for a year.
The scientists also monitored the participants' sera for adipokines—proteins released by fat tissue that signal the immune system to release either an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study authors explain their findings, stating, "[The] results demonstrated that 1-year yoga training decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adi- pokine 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.
These results suggest that yoga could be a valuable lifestyle intervention to lower inflammation in individuals with metabolic syndrome, thus helping them manage their symptoms.
Dr. Siu comments on the study's findings, saying, "These findings help reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
The scientific evidence suggests that yoga reduces inflammation in individuals with metabolic syndrome through several interconnected biological mechanisms. These include modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, mechanical adaptation of fascia, improving neurotransmitter-immune communication, and altering the gut microbiome. By addressing systemic inflammation, a key driver of metabolic syndrome and its associated cardiovascular risks, yoga offers a multifaceted approach to improving health.
- The study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports reveals that yoga benefits individuals with metabolic syndrome, as it decreases proinflammatory adipokines and increases anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with the condition, providing a valuable lifestyle intervention to lower inflammation.
- In the United States, it's estimated that around 47% of the adult population suffers from metabolic syndrome, a condition that often leads to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- Yoga, when practiced consistently, could help manage symptoms of metabolic syndrome by reducing inflammation through several interconnected biological mechanisms like modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, mechanical adaptation of fascia, improving neurotransmitter-immune communication, and altering the gut microbiome.
- Although science has shown promises in the benefits of yoga for managing various health-and-wellness issues such as brain health and cognition, thyroid problems, depression, and even chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes, most studies are observational and can't prove cause and effect. However, this new study offers further evidence supporting the potential of yoga as a fitness-and-exercise technique in the management of metabolic disorders.
