Managing Metabolic Syndrome Through Yoga Practice
📣 Calling all yoga enthusiasts! Ever wondered if those yogis raving about the benefits of yoga are onto something? Let's dive into the science behind it all, focusing on a recent study revealing how yoga positively impacts people suffering from metabolic syndrome.
Site Medical News Today has been bursting with reports praising the multitude of ways yoga can bolster our health. Ranging from improved brain health and cognitive function to alleviating thyroid issues and depression symptoms, it seems yoga is a miracle cure for nearly everything.
But here's the catch - most of these studies are observational, meaning they don't confirm causality. Still, a study led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong looked into the impact of yoga on cardiometabolic health.
This groundbreaking study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, not only validates the benefits for those with metabolic syndrome but also explains the mechanisms behind it.
🦠 Decreasing the inflammatory response
Metabolic syndrome often connects with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In the US, around 47% of the adult population grapples with this condition.
Previously, Dr. Siu's research pointed to lower blood pressure and smaller waistlines among yoga practitioners after a year. Thus, the new study aimed to explore the effect of a year of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome.
97 participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or a yoga group. While the control group received no intervention outside of monthly health checks, the yoga group attended weekly 1-hour sessions for an entire year.
The scientists also monitored the patients' sera for adipokines, signaling proteins released by fat tissue that instigate either an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
The study leaders summed up their findings: "One-year yoga training decreased proinflammatory adipokines and increased anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure."
"These discoveries support the positive role of yoga in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably adjusting adipokines," they added.
The results hint that yoga could be a worthwhile lifestyle change, helping reduce inflammation and aiding those with metabolic syndrome in managing their symptoms. Dr. Siu himself stated, "These findings help to explain the adipokines' response to prolonged yoga exercise, emphasizing the importance of regular exercise for general health."
Curious about the mechanisms behind these benefits? Yoga impacts mitochondrial function, inflammation through gene expression modulation, epigenetic and hormonal adjustment, and gut microbiota and gut-brain axis connections. Keep an eye out for more details on these aspects! 🌍💪🧘♂️🧘♀️
- The groundbreaking study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports revealed that a year of yoga training can decrease proinflammatory adipokines and increase anti-inflammatory adipokines in adults with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure.
- These discoveries support the positive role of yoga in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably adjusting adipokines, which are signaling proteins released by fat tissue that either instigate an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
- Yoga may be a worthwhile lifestyle change for those with metabolic syndrome, as it could aid in reducing inflammation and managing symptoms.
- The benefits of yoga for managing metabolic syndrome may stem from its impact on mitochondrial function, inflammation through gene expression modulation, epigenetic and hormonal adjustment, and gut microbiota and gut-brain axis connections.
