Yoga ‘may support cardiometabolic health outcomes in overweight adults’

Yoga may support cardiometabolic health in adults with overweight or obesity, according to a new study.

The study examined 30 yoga studies involving 2,689 participants to assess cardiometabolic health, meaning measures linked to heart health and metabolism such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

Researchers found that people who practised yoga had lower blood pressure on average, with systolic pressure, the top reading, down by 4.35 mmHg and diastolic pressure, the bottom reading, down by 2.06 mmHg.

They also found modest beneficial effects on low- and high-density lipoproteins, types of cholesterol linked to stroke risk.

The authors said: “Our review suggests that yoga may offer a helpful additional option for improving some aspects of cardiometabolic health in adults with overweight or obesity, particularly blood pressure.

“Yoga is often seen mainly as a wellbeing practice, but our findings suggest it may also support certain cardiometabolic health outcomes in adults with overweight or obesity.”

Researchers examined studies involving adults with a body mass index, or BMI, above 23 in Asian countries and above 25 elsewhere, thresholds used to indicate overweight or obesity.

Of the 30 studies included, 23 were conducted in Asian countries, with the rest carried out in the US, Germany and Australia.

The team also looked at glucose homeostasis, which means how the body regulates blood sugar, alongside markers of inflammation and antioxidants, substances that help protect cells from damage.

The authors said the evidence has limitations. The studies were not specifically designed to recruit people with obesity, did not measure a dose response, and excluded practitioners with co-morbidities from the analysis.

Most of the studies they analysed favoured yoga practice of at least 180 minutes per week.

Because the review combined existing studies, it cannot prove that yoga directly caused the improvements.

The researchers said further studies are needed to understand whether similar effects are seen in other populations, as well as in people with co-morbidities such as diabetes or heart disease.