New research suggests yoga could help improve risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, and could potentially even be a new therapy for these types of conditions.
After reviewing 37 randomized controlled trials researchers found evidence that yoga has the same positive effects on the heart as activities such as biking and brisk walking do, the European Society of Cardiology reported.
"This finding is significant as individuals who cannot or prefer not to perform traditional aerobic exercise might still achieve similar benefits in [cardiovascular] risk reduction," the researchers wrote.
The study showed risk factors for cardiovascular disease improved more so in those who participated in yoga than in individuals who did not exercise. Risk factor improvements ("in BMI, blood pressure, lipid levels") were even more pronounced in patients who used yoga in addition to medications.
"[The similarity between the effects of yoga and exercise suggests] that there could be comparable working mechanisms, with some possible physiological aerobic benefits occurring with yoga practice, and some stress-reducing, relaxation effect occurring with aerobic exercise," the researchers wrote.
The researchers believed yoga's benefit comes from its impact on stress reduction, which leads to positive impacts on neuroendocrine status, as well as metabolic and cardio function. Other researchers believe the reasoning behind the findings is unclear.
"Also unclear are the dose-response relationship and the relative costs and benefits of yoga when compared to exercise or medication," commented senior author Professor Myriam Hunink from Erasmus University Medical Center. "However, these results indicate that yoga is potentially very useful and in my view worth pursuing as a risk improvement practice."
The team also suggest yoga is more widely accepted by individuals who have a lower physical tolerance such as the elderly and those with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions.
"Yoga has the potential to be a cost-effective treatment and prevention strategy given its low cost, lack of expensive equipment or technology, potential greater adherence and health-related quality of life improvements, and possible accessibility to larger segments of the population," the researchers concluded.
The findings were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
