Adding yoga to your regular aerobic exercise supports cardiovascular health and well-being

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A three-month pilot study of patients with high blood pressure appears in Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, shows that adding yoga to a regular exercise regimen supports cardiovascular health and well-being and is more effective than stretching. Incorporating yoga lowered systolic blood pressure and resting heart rate and improved cardiovascular disease risk for 10 years.

Yoga is part of the spiritual and exercise practices of millions of people around the world. As the practice of yoga becomes an accepted form of exercise, the body of yoga research is growing. It is a multifaceted lifestyle activity that can positively enhance cardiovascular health and well-being. Physical exercises such as stretching and the physical components of yoga practices have many similarities, but there are also important differences.

The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether adding yoga to a regular exercise regimen reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. While there is some evidence that yoga and exercise interventions have equal and/or superior cardiovascular outcomes, there is wide variation in yoga types, components, frequency, session length, duration, and intensity. We sought to apply a rigorous scientific approach to identify the cardiovascular risk factors for which yoga is beneficial for patients at risk and the ways in which it can be applied in a healthcare setting such as a primary prevention program.”


Paul Poirier, MD, PhD, L.L.Cprincipal investigator, Quebec Heart and Lung Institute – Université Laval, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada

The investigators recruited 60 people with high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome to an exercise training program. Over the course of the 3-month intervention regime, participants were divided into two groups, which performed either 15 minutes of structured yoga or stretching plus 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 times per week. Blood pressure, anthropometric, high-sensitivity reactive protein (hs-CRP), glucose and lipid levels were measured as well as Framingham and Reynolds risk scores. At baseline, there was no difference between groups in age, sex, smoking rates, body mass index (BMI), resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, and pulse pressure.

After 3 months, there was a decrease in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, arterial blood pressure and heart rate in both groups. However, systolic blood pressure decreased by 10 mmHg with yoga versus 4 mmHg with stretching. The yoga approach also reduced resting heart rate and 10-year cardiovascular risk assessed using a Reynolds risk score.

While yoga has been shown to benefit hypertensive patients, the exact mechanism behind this positive effect is not fully understood. This randomized pilot study shows that its benefits cannot be attributed simply to stretching alone.

“This study provides evidence for an additional non-pharmacological treatment option for reducing cardiovascular risk and controlling blood pressure in patients with hypertension, in the setting of a primary prevention exercise program,” noted Dr. Pourier. As noted in many studies, we recommend that patients try to find aerobic exercise and stress relief to manage high blood pressure 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 just muscle stretching. “.

source:

Journal reference:

Pandey, A.; et al. (2022) The effect of yoga on global cardiovascular risk as an add-on to a regular exercise regimen in hypertensive patients. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2022.09.019.

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