1 2333 96 TWELVE-MINUTE DAILY YOGA REGIMEN REVERSES OSTEOPOROTIC BONE LOSS. OBJECTIVE: ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SELECTED YOGA POSTURES IN RAISING BONE MINERAL DENSITY (BMD). METHODS: TEN-YEAR STUDY OF 741 INTERNET-RECRUITED VOLUNTEERS COMPARING PREYOGA BMD CHANGES WITH POSTYOGA BMD CHANGES. OUTCOME MEASURES: DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRIC SCANS. OPTIONAL RADIOGRAPHS OF HIPS AND SPINE AND BONE QUALITY STUDY (7 TESLA). RESULTS: BONE MINERAL DENSITY IMPROVED IN SPINE, HIPS, AND FEMUR OF THE 227 MODERATELY AND FULLY COMPLIANT PATIENTS. MONTHLY GAIN IN BMD WAS SIGNIFICANT IN SPINE (0.0029 G/CM(2), P = .005) AND FEMUR (0.00022 G/CM(2), P = .053), BUT IN 1 COHORT, ALTHOUGH MEAN GAIN IN HIP BMD WAS 50%, LARGE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES RAISED THE CONFIDENCE INTERVAL AND THE GAIN WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR TOTAL HIP (0.000357 G/CM(2)). NO YOGA-RELATED SERIOUS INJURIES WERE IMAGED OR REPORTED. BONE QUALITY APPEARED QUALITATIVELY IMPROVED IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARS TO RAISE BMD IN THE SPINE AND THE FEMUR SAFELY. 2016 2 993 10 EFFECTS OF HEATED AND THERMONEUTRAL YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. THE STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFICACY OF 12 WEEKS OF HEATED AND THERMONEUTRAL BIKRAM YOGA IN REDUCING ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. FIFTY-FOUR SEDENTARY ADULTS (AGES 40-60 YEARS) COMPLETED 12 WEEKS OF YOGA AT 40.5 DEGREES C (N = 21), YOGA AT 23 DEGREES C (N = 14) OR TIME CONTROL (N = 19). BRACHIAL-ANKLE PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (PWV) WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED BY HOT OR THERMONEUTRAL YOGA INTERVENTIONS. 2018 3 1045 25 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS PRACTISED IN HEATED AND THERMONEUTRAL CONDITIONS ON ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION: THE BIKRAM YOGA HEART STUDY. NEW FINDINGS: WHAT IS THE CENTRAL QUESTION OF THIS STUDY? DOES THE HEATED PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT ENHANCE THE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA ON ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS? WHAT IS THE MAIN FINDING AND ITS IMPORTANCE? THE PRIMARY FINDING FROM THIS INVESTIGATION IS THAT THE HATHA YOGA POSTURES IN THE BIKRAM YOGA SERIES PRODUCE SIMILAR ENHANCEMENTS IN ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS REGARDLESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE. THESE FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE EFFICACY OF YOGA POSTURES IN PRODUCING IMPROVEMENTS IN VASCULAR HEALTH AND DOWNPLAY THE NECESSITY OF THE HEATED PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT IN INDUCING VASCULAR ADAPTATIONS. ABSTRACT: WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY DOCUMENTED IMPROVEMENTS IN ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION WITH A BIKRAM (HOT) YOGA INTERVENTION IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. AT PRESENT, THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE IN HOT YOGA ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IS UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTIONS PERFORMED IN HEATED OR THERMONEUTRAL CONDITIONS ON ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION. FIFTY-TWO SEDENTARY BUT APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS AGED 40-60 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: BIKRAM YOGA PRACTISED AT 40.5 DEGREES C (N = 19), BIKRAM YOGA PRACTISED AT 23 DEGREES C (N = 14) OR SEDENTARY TIME CONTROL (N = 19). THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF 90 MIN BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION WAS MEASURED NON-INVASIVELY USING BRACHIAL ARTERY FLOW-MEDIATED DILATATION (FMD). BODY FAT PERCENTAGE DETERMINED VIA DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE HOT YOGA GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION THAN IN THE THERMONEUTRAL YOGA AND CONTROL CONDITIONS. BRACHIAL ARTERY FMD INCREASED (P < 0.05) IN THE THERMONEUTRAL YOGA GROUP AND TENDED TO INCREASE IN THE HOT YOGA GROUP (P = 0.056). NO CHANGES OCCURRED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN FMD CHANGE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS. WE CONCLUDE THAT BIKRAM YOGA PRACTISED IN THERMONEUTRAL CONDITIONS IMPROVED ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. THESE NEW FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES ALONE, IN THE ABSENCE OF A HEATED PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT, IN IMPROVING VASCULAR HEALTH AND ARE OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE GIVEN THE INCREASED PROPENSITY FOR HEAT INTOLERANCE IN AGEING ADULTS. 2018 4 968 34 EFFECTS OF AN 8-MONTH ASHTANGA-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON BONE METABOLISM IN MIDDLE-AGED PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. ALTHOUGH YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN ALTERNATIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TO ENHANCE BONE HEALTH, THERE IS A LACK OF HIGH QUALITY EVIDENCE FOR THIS TYPE OF INTERVENTION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A PROGRESSIVE 8-MONTH ASHTANGA-BASED YOGA PROGRAM ON BONE TURNOVER MARKERS (BTM), AREAL BONE MINERAL DENSITY (ABMD) AND VOLUMETRIC BONE CHARACTERISTICS IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THIRTY-FOUR PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (35-50 YEARS) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED EITHER TO A YOGA GROUP (YE, N = 16) OR A CONTROL GROUP (CON, N = 18). PARTICIPANTS IN YE GROUP PERFORMED 60 MINUTES OF AN ASHTANGA-BASED YOGA SERIES 2 TIMES/WEEK WITH ONE DAY BETWEEN SESSIONS FOR 8 MONTHS, AND THE SESSION INTENSITY WAS PROGRESSIVELY INCREASED BY ADDING THE NUMBER OF SUN SALUTATIONS (SS). PARTICIPANTS IN CON WERE ENCOURAGED TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORMAL DAILY LIFESTYLES MONITORED BY THE BONE SPECIFIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE (BPAQ) AT 2 MONTH INTERVALS FOR 8 MONTHS. BODY COMPOSITION WAS MEASURED BY DUAL ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY (DXA). BONE FORMATION (BONE ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE, BONE ALP) AND BONE RESORPTION (TARTRATE-RESISTANT ACID PHOSPHATASE-5B, TRAP5B) MARKERS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8 MONTHS. ABMD OF TOTAL BODY, LUMBAR SPINE AND DUAL PROXIMAL FEMUR AND TIBIA BONE CHARACTERISTICS WERE MEASURED USING DXA AND PERIPHERAL QUANTITATIVE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (PQCT), RESPECTIVELY. WE FOUND THAT THE SERUM BONE ALP CONCENTRATIONS WERE MAINTAINED IN YE, BUT SIGNIFICANTLY (P = 0.005) DECREASED IN CON AFTER THE 8 MONTH INTERVENTION, AND THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.002) GROUP DIFFERENCES IN BONE ALP PERCENT CHANGES (YE 9.1 +/- 4.0% VS. CON -7.1 +/- 2.3%). NO CHANGES IN TRAP5B WERE FOUND IN EITHER GROUP. THE 8-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM DID NOT INCREASE ABMD OR TIBIA BONE STRENGTH VARIABLES. BODY COMPOSITION RESULTS SHOWED NO CHANGES IN WEIGHT, FAT MASS, OR % FAT, BUT SMALL SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN BONE FREE LEAN BODY MASS OCCURRED IN BOTH GROUPS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT REGULAR LONG-TERM ASHTANGA YOGA HAD A SMALL POSITIVE EFFECT ON BONE FORMATION BUT DID NOT ALTER ABMD OR TIBIA BONE CHARACTERISTICS IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. KEY POINTSREGULAR LONG-TERM ASHTANGA-BASED YOGA PROGRAM HAD A SMALL POSITIVE EFFECT ON BONE FORMATION, BUT NO EFFECTS WERE FOUND ON BONE RESORPTION.NONE OF THE BONE DENSITY OR GEOMETRY VARIABLES WERE CHANGED BY THE 8-MONTH ASHTANGA-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION.FUTURE YOGA INTERVENTIONS SHOULD FOCUS ON LONGER DURATION AND GREATER FREQUENCY TO ELICIT IMPROVEMENTS IN BONE MINERAL DENSITY. 2015 5 1111 27 EFFECTS OF YOGASANAS ON OSTEOPOROSIS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. BACKGROUND: OSTEOPOROSIS IS COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED BY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THERE IS AN INCREASED NEED FOR A LOW COST AND EFFICIENT TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE TO ADDRESS THIS POPULATION. AIMS: TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON BONE MINERAL DENSITY (BMD) IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH OSTEOPOROSIS. SETTINGS AND DESIGNS: EXPERIMENTAL PRE-POST STUDY CONDUCTED IN A COMMUNITY SETTING. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 FEMALES IN THE AGE GROUP OF 45-62 YEARS SUFFERING FROM POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS WITH A DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY (DEXA) SCORE OF 0.05). ALSO, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT (P > 0.05) GROUP, TIME, OR GROUP X TIME INTERACTION EFFECTS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABLES. YE GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.01) IMPROVED LEG PRESS MUSCLE STRENGTH COMPARED TO CON (11.4% VS. -6.5%). EIGHT MONTHS OF ASHTANGA YOGA TRAINING WAS BENEFICIAL FOR IMPROVING LEG PRESS STRENGTH, BUT NOT ARTERIAL COMPLIANCE IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. KEY POINTSTHE 8 MONTH YOGA TRAINING DID NOT AFFECT ARTERIAL COMPLIANCE OF THE LARGE AND SMALL ARTERIES.NONE OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABLES WERE CHANGED BY THE YOGA INTERVENTION.ISOTONIC MUSCLE STRENGTH WAS NOT ALTERED BY THE YOGA INTERVENTION, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LEG PRESS. 2012 12 51 16 A COMPARATIVE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE EFFECTS OF BRAIN WAVE VIBRATION TRAINING, IYENGAR YOGA, AND MINDFULNESS ON MOOD, WELL-BEING, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. THIS RANDOMISED TRIAL COMPARED THE EFFECTS OF BRAIN WAVE VIBRATION (BWV) TRAINING, WHICH INVOLVES RHYTHMIC YOGA-LIKE MEDITATIVE EXERCISES, WITH IYENGAR YOGA AND MINDFULNESS. IYENGAR PROVIDED A CONTRAST FOR THE PHYSICAL COMPONENTS AND MINDFULNESS FOR THE "MENTAL" COMPONENTS OF BWV. 35 HEALTHY ADULTS COMPLETED 10 75-MINUTE CLASSES OF BWV, IYENGAR, OR MINDFULNESS OVER FIVE WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION FOR MOOD, SLEEP, MINDFULNESS, ABSORPTION, HEALTH, MEMORY, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL. BETTER OVERALL MOOD AND VITALITY FOLLOWED BOTH BWV AND IYENGAR TRAINING, WHILE THE BWV GROUP ALONE HAD IMPROVED DEPRESSION AND SLEEP LATENCY. MINDFULNESS PRODUCED A COMPARATIVELY GREATER INCREASE IN ABSORPTION. ALL INTERVENTIONS IMPROVED STRESS AND MINDFULNESS, WHILE NO CHANGES OCCURRED IN HEALTH, MEMORY, OR SALIVARY CORTISOL. IN CONCLUSION, INCREASED WELL-BEING FOLLOWED TRAINING IN ALL THREE PRACTICES, INCREASED ABSORPTION WAS SPECIFIC TO MINDFULNESS, WHILE BWV WAS UNIQUE IN ITS BENEFITS TO DEPRESSION AND SLEEP LATENCY, WARRANTING FURTHER RESEARCH. 2012 13 2075 24 THE EFFECT OF BIKRAM YOGA ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: BIKRAM YOGA IS THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF HOT YOGA, DESPITE THE LIMITED INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON ITS CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFITS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF BIKRAM YOGA ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN YOUNG AND OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: TWENTY-FOUR YOUNG (MEAN AGE+/-STANDARD DEVIATION, 30+/-1 YEARS) AND 18 MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER (MEAN AGE, 53+/-2 YEARS) ADULTS COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION. BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES WERE PERFORMED FOR 90 MINUTES PER SESSION, THREE TIMES PER WEEK, IN A ROOM HEATED TO 40.5 DEGREES C WITH 40%--60% RELATIVE HUMIDITY. RESULTS: BODY MASS, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BLOOD PRESSURE, AND FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE AND TRIGLYCERIDE CONCENTRATIONS DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE AS A RESULT OF THE INTERVENTION IN EITHER THE YOUNG OR THE OLDER GROUP. TRUNK FLEXIBILITY, AS MEASURED BY THE SIT-AND-REACH TEST, INCREASED IN BOTH GROUPS (P<0.01). TOTAL (P<0.05) AND LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (P<0.05) LEVELS, PLASMA INSULIN CONCENTRATIONS (P<0.01), AND SCORES ON THE HOMEOSTATIC MODEL OF THE ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE (P<0.01) DECREASED IN OLDER ADULTS, WHEREAS TOTAL AND HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL CONCENTRATIONS WERE REDUCED IN YOUNG ADULTS (ALL P<0.05). CAROTID ARTERY COMPLIANCE (P<0.05) WAS INCREASED AND BETA-STIFFNESS INDEX DECREASED IN YOUNG (P<0.05) BUT NOT IN OLDER ADULTS. CAROTID PULSE PRESSURE DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE IN EITHER GROUP. CONCLUSION: A RELATIVELY SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVED ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN YOUNG BUT NOT OLDER ADULTS AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED INSULIN RESISTANCE INDEX IN OLDER BUT NOT YOUNG ADULTS. 2013 14 425 20 CALCIUM LOSS IN SWEAT DOES NOT STIMULATE PTH RELEASE: A STUDY OF BIKRAM HOT YOGA. IT HAS BEEN HYPOTHESIZED THAT SWEAT LOSS DURING EXERCISE CAUSES A DISRUPTION IN CALCIUM HOMEOSTASIS THAT ACTIVATES BONE RESORPTION AND OVER TIME LEADS TO LOW BONE MINERAL DENSITY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SMALL PILOT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER DERMAL CALCIUM LOSS FROM A BOUT OF EXCESSIVE SWEATING DURING LIGHT INTENSITY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TRIGGERS AN INCREASE IN BIOMARKERS OF BONE RESORPTION. BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS RELATED TO BONE HOMEOSTASIS WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A 90 MIN BIKRAM HOT YOGA PRACTICE PERFORMED IN A ROOM HEATED TO 105 DEGREES F WITH 40 % HUMIDITY. PARTICIPANTS WERE FIVE FEMALES WITH A MEAN AGE OF 47.4 +/- 4.7 YEARS. NUDE BODY WEIGHT, SERUM TOTAL CALCIUM (CA(2+)), FREE IONIZED CALCIUM, ALBUMIN, PARATHYROID HORMONE (PTH) AND CTX-I WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A BIKRAM HOT YOGA PRACTICE. MEAN ESTIMATED SWEAT LOSS WAS 1.54 +/- 0.65 L, WHICH ELICITED A 1.9 +/- 0.9 % DECREASE IN PARTICIPANT'S BODY WEIGHT. MEAN CA(2+) CONCENTRATION IN SWEAT WAS 2.9 +/- 1.7 MG/DL AND THE ESTIMATED MEAN TOTAL CALCIUM LOST WAS 41.3 +/- 16.4 MG. SERUM IONIZED CA(2+) INCREASED FROM 4.76 +/- 0.29 MG/DL TO 5.35 +/- 0.36 MG/DL AFTER THE BIKRAM HOT YOGA PRACTICE (P = 0.0118). SERUM PTH DECREASED FROM PRE- 33.9 +/- 3.3 PG/ML TO POST- 29.9 +/- 2.1 PG/ML YOGA PRACTICE (P = 0.0015) WHEN ADJUSTED FOR HEMOCONCENTRATION (PTHADJ), IMPLYING A DECREASE IN PTH SECRETION. WE CONCLUDE THAT CALCIUM LOSS IN SWEAT DURING 90 MIN OF BIKRAM HOT YOGA DID NOT TRIGGER AN INCREASE IN PTH SECRETION AND DID NOT INITIATE BONE RESORPTION. 2020 15 2133 16 THE EFFECTS OF A HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON FACETS OF DISTRESS TOLERANCE. INDIVIDUALS WITH LOW DISTRESS TOLERANCE (DT) EXPERIENCE NEGATIVE EMOTION AS PARTICULARLY THREATENING AND ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO REDUCE OR AVOID SUCH AFFECTIVE EXPERIENCES. CONSEQUENTLY, THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE DIFFICULTY REGULATING EMOTIONS AND TEND TO ENGAGE IN MALADAPTIVE STRATEGIES, SUCH AS OVEREATING, AS A MEANS TO REDUCE OR AVOID DISTRESS. HATHA YOGA ENCOURAGES ONE TO IMPLEMENT PRESENT-CENTERED AWARENESS AND NON-REACTION IN THE FACE OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISCOMFORT AND, THUS, EMERGES AS A POTENTIAL STRATEGY FOR INCREASING DT. TO TEST WHETHER A HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION CAN ENHANCE DT, A TRANSDIAGNOSTIC RISK AND MAINTENANCE FACTOR, THIS STUDY RANDOMLY ASSIGNED FEMALES HIGH IN EMOTIONAL EATING IN RESPONSE TO STRESS (N = 52) EITHER TO AN 8-WEEK, TWICE-WEEKLY HATHA (BIKRAM) YOGA INTERVENTION OR TO A WAITLIST CONTROL CONDITION. SELF-REPORTED DT AND EMOTIONAL EATING WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, WEEKLY DURING TREATMENT, AND 1-WEEK POST-TREATMENT. CONSISTENT WITH PREDICTION, PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA CONDITION REPORTED GREATER INCREASES IN DT OVER THE COURSE OF THE INTERVENTION RELATIVE TO WAITLIST PARTICIPANTS (COHEN'S D = .82). ALSO CONSISTENT WITH PREDICTION, THE REDUCTION IN EMOTIONAL EATING WAS GREATER FOR THE YOGA CONDITION THAN THE WAITLIST CONDITION (COHEN'S D = .92). IMPORTANTLY, REDUCTIONS DISTRESS ABSORPTION, A SPECIFIC SUB-FACET OF DT, ACCOUNTED FOR 15% OF THE VARIANCE IN EMOTIONAL EATING, A HALLMARK BEHAVIOR OF EATING PATHOLOGY AND RISK FACTOR FOR OBESITY. 2015 16 756 18 EFFECT OF SIX WEEKS YOGA TRAINING ON WEIGHT LOSS FOLLOWING STEP TEST, RESPIRATORY PRESSURES, HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE IN YOUNG HEALTHY SUBJECTS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO TEST WHETHER YOGA TRAINING OF SIX WEEKS DURATION MODULATES SWEATING RESPONSE TO DYNAMIC EXERCISE AND IMPROVES RESPIRATORY PRESSURES, HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE. OUT OF 46 HEALTHY SUBJECTS (30 MALES AND 16 FEMALES, AGED 17-20 YR), 23 MOTIVATED SUBJECTS (15 MALE AND 8 FEMALE) WERE GIVEN YOGA TRAINING AND THE REMAINING 23 SUBJECTS SERVED AS CONTROLS. WEIGHT LOSS FOLLOWING HARVARD STEP TEST (AN INDEX OF SWEAT LOSS), MAXIMUM INSPIRATORY PRESSURE, MAXIMUM EXPIRATORY PRESSURE, 40 MM ENDURANCE, HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND HANDGRIP ENDURANCE WERE DETERMINED BEFORE AND AFTER THE SIX WEEK STUDY PERIOD. IN THE YOGA GROUP, WEIGHT LOSS IN RESPONSE TO HARVARD STEP TEST WAS 64 +/- 30 G AFTER YOGA TRAINING AS COMPARED TO 161 +/- 133 G BEFORE THE TRAINING AND THE DIFFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANT (N = 15 MALE SUBJECTS, P < 0.0001). IN CONTRAST, WEIGHT LOSS FOLLOWING STEP TEST WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN THE CONTROL GROUP AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD. YOGA TRAINING PRODUCED A MARKED INCREASE IN RESPIRATORY PRESSURES AND ENDURANCE IN 40 MM HG TEST IN BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SUBJECTS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL COMPARISONS). IN CONCLUSION, THE PRESENT STUDY DEMONSTRATES ATTENUATION OF THE SWEATING RESPONSE TO STEP TEST BY YOGA TRAINING. FURTHER, YOGA TRAINING FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF SIX WEEKS CAN PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE. 2008 17 2160 21 THE EFFECTS OF WEIGHT BEARING YOGA TRAINING ON THE BONE RESORPTION MARKERS OF THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THIS STUDY WAS A PRELIMINARY REPORT TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THE WEIGHT BEARING YOGA TRAINING ON BOTH BONE RESORPTION MARKER AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. THE SAMPLES WERE RECRUITED BY THE PURPOSIVE SAMPLING FROM THE FEMALE CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY STAFF AGED BETWEEN 50-60 YEARS. THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, THE BONE RESORPTION MARKER (BETA-CROSSLAPS), THE BONE FORMATION MARKER (P1NP) AND QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36) DATA WERE COLLECTED. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ATTENDED THE 12-WEEK WEIGHT-BEARING YOGA TRAINING 3 DAYS A WEEK, 50 MINUTES A DAY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP LIVED THEIR NORMAL LIVES. AFTER 12TH WEEK, THE DATA COLLECTIONS WERE REPEATED IN BOTH GROUPS. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (19 SUBJECTS, THE MEAN AGE 54.320 YRS) AND THE CONTROL GROUP (14 SUBJECTS, THE MEAN AGE 54.430 YRS) WERE RECRUITED. THE MEAN ULTRASOUND BMD OF BOTH HEELS IN BOTH GROUPS SHOWED NO OSTEOPENIA OR OSTEOPOROSIS. AFTER THE 12-WEEK TRAINING, THE MEAN BONE RESORPTION MARKER (BETA-CROSSLAPS) OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP REDUCED FROM 0.464 TO 0.339 NG/ML (-26.939%) WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP REDUCED FROM 0.389 TO 0.386 NG/ML (-0.771%). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P < 0.05). THE MEAN OF THE BONE FORMATION MARKERS (PINP) IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP REDUCED FROM 55.393 TO 42.401 NG/ML (-23.454%) AND THE BONE FORMATION MARKERS (PINP) IN THE CONTROL GROUP REDUCED FROM 61.903 TO 44.832 NG/ML (-27.577%). IN THE AREA OF THE LIFE QUALITY MEASUREMENT OF BOTH GROUPS, THE DATA OBTAINED FROM THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT-FORM SURVEY (SF-36) SHOWED THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AT 0.05 LEVELS FOR THE PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, BODILY PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH, AND VITALITY. THE VARIANCE OF PERCENTAGE CHANGE VALUE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP INCREASED TO +25.299, +16.565, +15.309, AND +21.056. THE VARIANCE OF PERCENTAGE CHANGE VALUE OF THE CONTROL GROUP INCREASED TO +12.946, -1.221, -9.303 AND +2.291. THE WEIGH-BEARING YOGA TRAINING HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON BONE BY SLOWING DOWN BONE RESORPTION WHICH WAS A VERY ESSENTIAL INDICATOR FOR HUMAN HEALTH BECAUSE IT REDUCED THE OSTEOPOROSIS RISKS IN THE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA TRAINING PROMOTED BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE. 2009 18 2778 14 YOGA STRETCHING FOR IMPROVING SALIVARY IMMUNE FUNCTION AND MENTAL STRESS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS. PROTECTION AGAINST AGE-RELATED IMMUNE SUPPRESSION IS IMPORTANT IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS. THIS STUDY DETERMINED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON MUCOSAL IMMUNE FUNCTION AND MENTAL STRESS. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM 23 ADULT WOMEN (AGE: 60.4 +/- 10.4 YEARS) BEFORE AND AFTER 90 MINUTES OF YOGA STRETCHING OR REST TO MEASURE SECRETORY IMMUNOGLOBULIN A (SIGA), CORTISOL, AND TESTOSTERONE. THE SIGA CONCENTRATION AND SECRETION RATE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER AFTER YOGA THAN BEFORE (P < .05). THE CORTISOL CONCENTRATION AND SECRETION RATE WERE LOWER AND TESTOSTERONE SECRETION RATE HIGHER AFTER YOGA (P < .05). YOGA STRETCHING CAN REDUCE STRESS AND ENHANCE MUCOSAL IMMUNE FUNCTION IN ELDERLY WOMEN. 2018 19 1427 17 IMPROVEMENTS IN GLUCOSE TOLERANCE WITH BIKRAM YOGA IN OLDER OBESE ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. BIKRAM YOGA IS AN EXOTIC FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMBINING HATHA YOGA AND THERMAL THERAPY THAT COULD POSITIVELY IMPACT METABOLIC HEALTH. ALTHOUGH THIS INCREASINGLY POPULAR ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE MAY BE IDEAL FOR OBESE ADULTS DUE TO ITS LOW IMPACT NATURE, FEW STUDIES HAVE ELUCIDATED THE HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. AS AN INITIAL STEP, WE DETERMINED THE EFFECT OF BIKRAM YOGA ON GLUCOSE TOLERANCE. FOURTEEN YOUNG LEAN AND 15 OLDER OBESE SUBJECTS COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IN WHICH CLASSES WERE COMPLETED 3 TIMES PER WEEK. GLUCOSE TOLERANCE WAS ASSESSED USING A 75 G ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST. THE AREA UNDER THE GLUCOSE CURVE FOLLOWING THE ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AS A RESULT OF THE BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IN OLDER OBESE (P < 0.05) BUT NOT IN YOUNG LEAN SUBJECTS. WE CONCLUDED THAT A SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE IN OLDER OBESE, BUT NOT IN YOUNG LEAN ADULTS. 2013 20 1944 18 SALT AND WATER BALANCE AFTER SWEAT LOSS: A STUDY OF BIKRAM YOGA. BIKRAM YOGA IS PRACTICED IN A ROOM HEATED TO 105 DEGREES F WITH 40% HUMIDITY FOR 90 MIN. DURING THE CLASS A LARGE VOLUME OF WATER AND ELECTROLYTES ARE LOST IN THE SWEAT, SPECIFICALLY, SODIUM IS LOST, THE MAIN CATION OF THE EXTRACELLULAR FLUID. THERE IS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT THE VOLUME OF SWEAT AND THE AMOUNT OF SODIUM LOST IN SWEAT DURING BIKRAM YOGA OR THE OPTIMUM QUANTITY OF FLUID REQUIRED TO REPLACE THESE LOSSES. THE PARTICIPANTS WHO TOOK PART IN THIS SMALL FEASIBILITY STUDY WERE FIVE FEMALES WITH A MEAN AGE OF 47.4 +/- 4.7 YEARS AND 2.6 +/- 1.6 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AT BIKRAM YOGA. THE TOTAL BODY WEIGHT, WATER CONSUMED, SERUM SODIUM CONCENTRATION, SERUM OSMOLALITY, AND SERUM ALDOSTERONE LEVELS WERE ALL MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE. SWEAT SODIUM CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION AND OSMOLALITY WERE MEASURED AT THE END OF THE PRACTICE. THE MEAN ESTIMATED SWEAT LOSS WAS 1.54 +/- 0.65 L, WHILE THE AMOUNT OF WATER CONSUMED DURING BIKRAM YOGA WAS 0.38 +/- 0.22 L. EVEN THOUGH ONLY 25% OF THE SWEAT LOSS WAS REPLENISHED WITH WATER INTAKE DURING THE BIKRAM YOGA CLASS, WE DID NOT OBSERVE A CHANGE IN SERUM SODIUM LEVELS OR SERUM OSMOLALITY. THE SWEAT CONTAINED 82 +/- 16 MMOL/L OF SODIUM CHLORIDE FOR AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 6.8 +/- 2.1 G OF SODIUM CHLORIDE LOST IN THE SWEAT. THE SERUM ALDOSTERONE INCREASED 3.5-FOLD FROM BEFORE TO AFTER BIKRAM YOGA. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN THE EXTRACELLULAR BODY FLUID COMPARTMENT OF 9.7%. SWEAT LOSS IN BIKRAM YOGA PREDOMINATELY PRODUCED A VOLUME DEPLETION RATHER THAN THE DEHYDRATION OF BODY FLUIDS. THE SWEATING-STIMULATED RISE IN SERUM ALDOSTERONE LEVELS WILL LEAD TO INCREASED SODIUM REABSORPTION FROM THE KIDNEY TUBULES AND RESTORE THE EXTRACELLULAR FLUID VOLUME OVER THE NEXT 24 HR. 2020