Managing Metabolic Syndrome through Yoga Practice
Y'know, those yoga-lovin' folks always go on and on about how great it is for the body and mind, but what does the science really say? Well, a recent study sheds some light, focusing on how yoga affects individuals with metabolic syndrome.
We here at Medical News Today have been keeping tabs on a bunch of studies highlighting various benefits of yoga for our health. Among these benefits are improved brain health and cognition, assistance with thyroid issues, and relief from depression symptoms.
It's also been suggested that yoga can help men tackle prostate issues or even overcome erectile dysfunction, and aid those with diabetes in managing their symptoms. It seems like there's hardly anything that yoga isn't good for!
But most of these studies are observational and can't definitively conclude the cause-and-effect relationship. There isn't much research into the underlying mechanisms behind the stated findings.
Enter Dr. Parco M. Siu and his team from the University of Hong Kong in China. They published a study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports that looked into the effect of yoga on cardiometabolic health.
The study not only confirmed the benefits for those with metabolic syndrome but also revealed the mechanisms behind these benefits.
Yoga Stifles Inflammatory Response
Metabolic syndrome is a common condition in the U.S., with estimates suggesting that around half of the adult population lives with it. It's often associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Dr. Siu's group previously found lower blood pressure and smaller waist circumferences among those who practiced yoga for a year. So, they wanted to investigate how a year of yoga affects people with metabolic syndrome.
They divided 97 participants with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure into a control group and a yoga group. The yoga group attended three 1-hour sessions per week for a year.
The researchers also analyzed the participants' blood for adipokines, signaling proteins released by fat tissue that communicate with the immune system, triggering either an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study authors summarized their findings, stating, "[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," the researchers added.
The study suggests that yoga could be a valuable lifestyle intervention, helping to decrease inflammation and manage symptoms for those with metabolic syndrome.
Dr. Siu had this to say about the study's findings, "These findings help to reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
Cherry on top, this bad boy study gets you the full scoop on the mechanism behind yoga's anti-inflammatory effects. If you're curious about the study paper or the intervention protocol, hit me up, and I'll spill the beans!
- Dr. Parco M. Siu's study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports reveals that yoga can stifle the inflammatory response in individuals with metabolic syndrome.
- In a year-long study, the researchers discovered that yoga decreases proinflammatory adipokines and increases anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- The study suggests that regular yoga exercise could potentially serve as a valuable lifestyle intervention to help manage symptoms and decrease inflammation for those with metabolic syndrome.
- As metabolic disorders like diabetes and heart disease are often associated with metabolic syndrome, understanding the anti-inflammatory effects of yoga through scientific research could have implications for health and wellness, fitness and exercise, and nutrition.
