Utilizing yoga to control metabolic syndrome: An exploration.
Yogis - the folks who practice yoga - are always hyping up about how it can be a game-changer for both body and mind. But what does the science say? Let's delve into a new study that investigates the impact of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome.
Here at Medical News Today, we've been keeping tabs on plenty of studies suggesting that yoga has some awesome health benefits. From boosting brain health and cognition to relieving thyroid problems and depression symptoms, it seems like yoga is the Swiss Army knife of wellness.
However, most of these studies are observational and can't draw any solid conclusions about cause and effect. Only a handful have looked at the mechanisms behind these findings, and one such study is the one conducted by Dr. Parco M. Siu and his team from the University of Hong Kong in China. This study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, investigates the effect of yoga on cardiometabolic health.
The results? Not only does it benefit those with metabolic syndrome, but it also reveals the mechanisms behind its benefits. The study found that yoga decreases proinflammatory adipokines and boosts anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure. In simpler terms, it means that yoga could decrease inflammation, helping those with metabolic syndrome to manage their symptoms.
Dr. Siu and his colleagues previously found that people who practiced yoga for a year had lower blood pressure and a smaller waist circumference. For this study, they wanted to examine the impact of a year of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome. They randomly assigned participants with metabolic syndrome to either a control group or a yoga group. The yoga group underwent three 1-hour yoga sessions weekly for a year.
So, what does all this mean for you? If you've got metabolic syndrome, practicing yoga could be a fantastic lifestyle intervention to help decrease inflammation and manage your symptoms. Plus, it's a great way to reduce stress, improve circulation and lymphatic flow, regulate your hormones, and boost your mental health.
If you're curious about the mechanisms behind the anti-inflammatory benefits of yoga, it comes down to stress reduction, improvements in circulatory and lymphatic systems, hormonal regulation, neurological and psychological effects, physical activity, antioxidant response, and lowering inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
- Yoga, as indicated by the study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, could aid individuals with metabolic syndrome by decreasing proinflammatory adipokines and boosting anti-inflammatory adipokines.
- Practicing yoga for a year, as suggested by Dr. Siu's previous studies, can lead to reduced blood pressure and a smaller waist circumference, which might help manage symptoms in those with metabolic syndrome.
- Beyond its potential benefits for metabolic disorders, yoga may also contribute to stress reduction, improved circulation and lymphatic flow, hormonal regulation, better mental health, and an antioxidant response.
- Moreover, incorporating yoga into a health-and-wellness routine, along with fitness-and-exercise and proper nutrition, could be a valuable strategy for managing chronic diseases such as type-2-diabetes, tyroid problems, and depression symptoms.
