Yoga as a Potential Solution for Managing Metabolic Syndrome
Yo, check out this gnarly new study that was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports! Led by Dr. Parco M. Siu from the University of Hong Kong in China, this badass investigation delved into the impact of yoga on people with metabolic syndrome and their cardiometabolic health.
Now, if you're wondering what metabolic syndrome is, it's a condition that's connected to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and approximately one in three adults in the U.S. have got it. Before this study, Dr. Siu's team had found that people who engage in yoga for a year had lower blood pressure and a smaller waist size.
In this new study, they wanted to find out if yoga could help those with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure. For the experiment, they assigned 97 participants with metabolic syndrome to either a control group or a yoga group. The yoga group had to attend three one-hour yoga sessions every week for a year.
To keep tabs on things, the scientists also monitored the patients' sera for adipokines, which are the proteins that tell the immune system whether to launch an inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
So, what were the results? The researchers found that after a year of yoga practice, there was a decrease in proinflammatory adipokines and an increase in anti-inflammatory adipokines! This means that regular yoga practice could help individuals with metabolic syndrome keep the inflammation levels in check.
"Our findings support the beneficial role of yoga in managing metabolic syndrome by favorably modulating adipokines," the researchers concluded.
Dr. Siu himself weighed in on the study's outcome, saying, "These findings help to reveal the response of adipokines to long-term yoga exercise, which underpins the importance of regular exercise to human health."
In short, this study shows that yoga is not only cool but it can also help folks with metabolic syndrome and high-normal blood pressure manage their symptoms by reducing inflammation. Take it from the folks who practice yoga and tout its benefits – ya might wanna give yoga a shot if you're looking to keep your health in check!
- The new study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports investigates the impact of yoga on individuals with metabolic syndrome and their cardiometabolic health, particularly those with high-normal blood pressure.
- The study involved 97 participants with metabolic syndrome, who were either assigned to a control group or a yoga group, attending three one-hour yoga sessions every week for a year.
- The scientists monitored the participants' sera for adipokines, the proteins that activate the immune system's inflammatory or anti-inflammatory response.
- After a year of yoga practice, the researchers found a decrease in proinflammatory adipokines and an increase in anti-inflammatory adipokines, suggesting that regular yoga practice could help individuals with metabolic syndrome manage their inflammation levels.
