The regular
practice of Yoga is more beneficial than stretching exercises for improving
cardiovascular health and well-being, a new study has revealed.
The three-month
pilot study of patients with hypertension published in the Canadian Journal of
Cardiology found that incorporating Yoga in the regular exercise training
regimen helped reduce systolic blood pressure and resting heart rate, which lower
the 10-year cardiovascular risk.
Yoga
practice is fast growing as a widely accepted form of exercise and has several
similarities to physical exercises such as stretching, but also important
differences.
“The aim of
this pilot study was to determine whether the addition of Yoga to a regular
exercise training regimen reduces cardiovascular risk,” said lead investigator
Paul Poirier of the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute.
“While there
is some evidence that yoga interventions and exercise have equal and/or
superior cardiovascular outcomes, there is considerable variability in yoga
types, components, frequency, session length, duration, and intensity. We
sought to apply a rigorous scientific approach to identify cardiovascular risk
factors for which yoga is beneficial for at-risk patients and ways it could be
applied in a healthcare setting such as a primary prevention program,” he
added.
Investigators
recruited 60 individuals with previously diagnosed high blood pressure and
metabolic syndrome for an exercise training program. Over the 3-month
intervention regimen, participants were divided into 2 groups, which performed
15 minutes of either structured yoga or stretching in addition to 30 minutes of
aerobic exercise training 5 times weekly.
Blood
pressure, anthropometry, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glucose
and lipids levels as well as the Framingham and Reynolds Risk Scores were
measured.
After three
months, there was a decrease in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure,
mean arterial blood pressure, and heart rate in both groups. However, systolic
blood pressure was reduced by 10 mmHg with yoga vs 4 mmHg with stretching. The
yoga approach also reduced resting heart rate and 10-year cardiovascular risk
assessed using Reynold’s Risk score.
While yoga
has been shown to benefit hypertensive patients, the exact mechanism underlying
this positive effect is not fully understood. This pilot randomized study shows
that its benefits cannot be simply attributed to stretching alone.
“This study
provides evidence for an additional non-pharmacologic therapy option for
cardiovascular risk reduction and blood pressure control in patients with high
blood pressure, in the setting of a primary prevention exercise program,” Dr.
Poirier pointed out.
“As observed
in several studies, we recommend that patients try to find exercise and stress
relief for the management of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in
whatever form they find most appealing. Our study shows that structured yoga
practices can be a healthier addition to aerobic exercise than simply muscle
stretching,” he added.
