1 995 152 EFFECTS OF HIGH-INTENSITY HATHA YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS, ADIPOCYTOKINES, AND APOLIPOPROTEINS IN HEALTHY STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA EXERCISES ARE OFTEN USED AS A FORM OF BODY AND MIND EXERCISE TO INCREASE PERFORMANCE. HOWEVER, KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF PERFORMING HIGH-INTENSITY HATHA YOGA EXERCISES OVER A LONGER TIME PERIOD REMAINS LIMITED. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF HIGH-INTENSITY YOGA (HIY) ON CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS (MAXIMAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, ESTIMATED FROM THE COOPER RUNNING TEST), RATINGS OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE), HEART RATE (HR), HEART RATE RECOVERY (HRR), BLOOD PRESSURE (BP), ADIPOCYTOKINES, APOLIPOPROTEIN A1 (APOA1), APOLIPOPROTEIN B (APOB), AND GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN (HBA1C) IN HEALTHY STUDENTS. METHODS: THE 44 PARTICIPANTS (38 WOMEN AND 6 MEN; MEDIAN AGE, 25 YEARS [RANGE, 20-39 YEARS]) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN HIY OR A CONTROL GROUP. THE HIY PROGRAM WAS HELD FOR 6 WEEKS (60 MINUTES ONCE A WEEK). CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS, RPE, HR, HRR, BP, ADIPOCYTOKINES, HBA1C, APOA1, AND APOB WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: HIY HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS (MEAN DOSE: 390 MINUTES [RANGE, 210-800 MINUTES]), HR, HRR, BP, OR ANY OF THE BLOOD PARAMETERS. HOWEVER, SECONDARY FINDINGS SHOWED THAT [CORRECTED] APOA1 (1.47 +/- 0.17 TO 1.55 +/- 0.16 G/L; P = 0.03) AND ADIPONECTIN (8.32 +/- 3.32 TO 9.68 +/- 3.83 MG/L; P = 0.003) LEVELS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE HIY GROUP AFTER 6 WEEKS. CONCLUSIONS: SIX WEEKS OF HIY DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. HOWEVER, SECONDARY FINDINGS SHOWED THAT [CORRECTED] APOA1 AND ADIPONECTIN LEVELS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE HIY GROUP. THIS FINDING SUGGESTS THAT HIY MAY HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON BLOOD LIPIDS AND AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECT. 2016 2 324 31 ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL PARAMETERS IN CLIMACTERIC YOGA PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL PARAMETERS IN CLIMACTERIC YOGA PRACTITIONERS. METHODS: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED 108 CLIMACTERIC WOMEN. WE RECRUITED 28 WOMEN BETWEEN 40 AND 65 YEARS OLD WHO STARTED YOGA PRACTICES IN PREMENOPAUSE AND HAD ALREADY PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS. AS CONTROLS, WE SELECTED 30 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) PRACTITIONERS WHO HAD PRACTICED FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS AND 50 SEDENTARY WOMEN IN THE SAME AGE RANGE. WE CONDUCED ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE THAN THE PA PRACTITIONERS AND SEDENTARY WOMEN. YOGA PRACTITIONERS ALSO HAD LOWER WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AND WAIST-TO-HEIGHT RATIO; HIGHER LEVELS OF HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL; LOWER LEVELS OF TRIGLYCERIDES, INSULIN, HOMEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE, URIC ACID, APOLIPOPROTEIN B AND HIGH-SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN; AND LOWER FREQUENCY OF METABOLIC SYNDROME, LIPID ACCUMULATION PRODUCT, VISCERAL ADIPOSITY INDEX AND SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE THAN THE SEDENTARY WOMEN. CONCLUSION: YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD LOWER GLUCOSE SERUM CONCENTRATIONS THAN THE PA PRACTITIONERS AND SEDENTARY WOMEN. OVERALL, THE YOGA GROUP ALSO HAD BETTER ANTHROPOMETRIC, BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL VARIABLES THAN THE OTHER GROUPS. ALTHOUGH FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS REQUIRED, YOGA PRACTICE IN PREMENOPAUSE SEEMS TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR WOMEN WHEN THEY REACH MENOPAUSE. 2022 3 1030 41 EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON SERUM ADIPONECTIN AND METABOLIC SYNDROME FACTORS IN OBESE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. OBJECTIVE: REGULAR AND CONTINUOUS YOGA EXERCISE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT NONPHARMACOLOGICAL METHODS OF IMPROVING SERUM LIPID CONCENTRATIONS, ADIPOSE TISSUE, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME FACTORS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON SERUM ADIPONECTIN AND METABOLIC SYNDROME FACTORS IN OBESE POSTMENOPAUSAL KOREAN WOMEN. METHODS: SIXTEEN HEALTHY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN AGED 54.50 +/- 2.75 YEARS WITH MORE THAN 36% BODY FAT WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA EXERCISE GROUP (N = 8) OR TO A "NO EXERCISE" CONTROL GROUP (N = 8). THE VARIABLES OF BODY COMPOSITION, VISCERAL FAT, SERUM ADIPONECTIN, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME FACTORS WERE MEASURED IN ALL THE PARTICIPANTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 16-WEEK STUDY. RESULTS: BODY WEIGHT, PERCENTAGE OF BODY FAT, LEAN BODY MASS, BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, AND VISCERAL FAT AREA HAD SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED. HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL AND ADIPONECTIN HAD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, BUT TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, TRIGLYCERIDE, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL, BLOOD PRESSURE, INSULIN, GLUCOSE, AND HOMOEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT-INSULIN RESISTANCE HAD SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED. SERUM ADIPONECTIN CONCENTRATIONS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL, DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, AND HOMOEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT-INSULIN RESISTANCE IN THE POSTYOGA EXERCISE GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA EXERCISE IMPROVES ADIPONECTIN LEVEL, SERUM LIPIDS, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME RISK FACTORS IN OBESE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. CONSEQUENTLY, YOGA EXERCISE WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CAUSED BY OBESITY IN OBESE POSTMENOPAUSAL KOREAN WOMEN. 2012 4 1374 43 IMPACT OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY PROTOCOL ON INSULIN RESISTANCE AND GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. OBJECTIVE: DIABETES MELLITUS (DM), CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA, IS ATTRIBUTED TO RELATIVE INSULIN DEFICIENCY OR RESISTANCE, OR BOTH. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA CAN MODULATE PARAMETERS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE. THE PRESENT STUDY EXPLORED THE POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY WITH REFERENCE TO GLYCEMIC CONTROL AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH DIABETES MAINTAINED ON STANDARD ORAL MEDICAL CARE WITH YOGA THERAPY, COMPARED TO THOSE ON STANDARD ORAL MEDICAL CARE ALONE. METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, THE SUBJECTS ON YOGA INTERVENTION COMPRISED 35 TYPE 2 DIABETICS, AND AN EQUAL NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS CONSTITUTED THE CONTROL GROUP. SUBJECTS RANGED IN AGE FROM 30 TO 70 YEARS, WITH HEMOGLOBIN A1C (HBA1C) TEST MORE THAN 7%, AND WERE MAINTAINED ON DIABETIC DIET AND ORAL HYPOGLYCEMIC AGENTS. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE DRAWN PRIOR TO AND AFTER 120 DAYS OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION. FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE (FBG), POST-PRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE (PPBG), HBA1C, INSULIN, AND LIPID PROFILE WERE ASSESSED IN BOTH THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. RESULTS: THE INTERVENTION GROUP REVEALED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) (0.7 KG/M(2) MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.001), FBG (20 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), PPBG (33 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), HBA1C (0.4% MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), HOMEOSTATIC MODEL ASSESSMENT FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE (HOMA-IR) (1.2 MEDIAN DECREASE; P<0.001), CHOLESTEROL (13 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE, P=0.006), TRIACYLGLYCEROL (22 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.027), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (6 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.004), AND VERY-LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN LEVELS (4 MG/DL MEDIAN DECREASE; P=0.032). INCREASES IN HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN AFTER 120 DAYS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT (6 MG/DL MEDIAN INCREASE; P=0.15). HOWEVER, WHEN COMPARED TO CHANGES OBSERVED IN PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALL THESE IMPROVEMENTS PROVED TO BE SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: ADMINISTRATION OF INTEGRATED YOGA THERAPY TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DIABETES LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GLYCEMIC CONTROL, INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND KEY BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS. 2022 5 2816 44 YOGA TRAINING IMPROVES METABOLIC PARAMETERS IN OBESE BOYS. YOGA HAS BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE STIMULATORY OR INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE METABOLIC PARAMETERS AND TO BE UNCOMPLICATED THERAPY FOR OBESITY. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO TEST THE EFFECT OF AN 8-WEEK OF YOGA-ASANA TRAINING ON BODY COMPOSITION, LIPID PROFILE, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) IN OBESE ADOLESCENT BOYS. TWENTY VOLUNTEERS WITH BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) GREATER THAN THE 95TH PERCENTILE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (AGE 14.7+/-0.5 YEARS, N=10) AND CONTROL GROUPS (AGE 14.6+/-1.0 YEARS, N=10). THE YOGA GROUP PERFORMED EXERCISES THREE TIMES PER WEEK AT 40~60% OF HEART-RATE RESERVE (HRR) FOR 8 WEEKS. IR WAS DETERMINED WITH THE HOMEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE (HOMA-IR). AFTER YOGA TRAINING, BODY WEIGHT, BMI, FAT MASS (FM), AND BODY FAT % (BF %) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED, AND FAT-FREE MASS AND BASAL METABOLIC RATE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THAN BASELINE VALUES. FM AND BF % WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (P<0.05). TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P<0.01). HDL-CHOLESTEROL WAS DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS (P<0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED BETWEEN OR WITHIN GROUPS FOR TRIGLYCERIDES, LDL-CHOLESTEROL, GLUCOSE, INSULIN, AND HOMA-IR. OUR FINDINGS SHOW THAT AN 8-WEEK OF YOGA TRAINING IMPROVES BODY COMPOSITION AND TC LEVELS IN OBESE ADOLESCENT BOYS, SUGGESTING THAT YOGA TRAINING MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN CONTROLLING SOME METABOLIC SYNDROME FACTORS IN OBESE ADOLESCENT BOYS. 2012 6 679 33 EFFECT OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON GLUCOSE METABOLISM AND BLOOD LIPID LEVELS IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY ON GLUCOSE METABOLISM AND BLOOD LIPID VALUES IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS). METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, INTERVENTIONAL CONTROLLED TRIAL RECRUITED 90 ADOLESCENTS AGED BETWEEN 15 AND 18 YEARS WHO MET THE ROTTERDAM CRITERIA FOR PCOS. A YOGA GROUP PRACTICED SURYANAMASKARA, ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION 1 HOUR PER DAY EACH DAY FOR 12 WEEKS WHILE ANOTHER GROUP PRACTICED CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL EXERCISES. THE MANN-WHITNEY U TEST WAS USED TO COMPARE SCORE CHANGES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS. RESULTS: THE CHANGES IN FASTING INSULIN, FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, AND HOMEOSTASIS MODEL ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN THE 2 GROUPS (P<0.05). EXCEPT FOR HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL, THE CHANGES IN BLOOD LIPID VALUES WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT (P<0.05). THE CHANGES IN BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, AND WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO, HOWEVER, WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL EXERCISES IN IMPROVING GLUCOSE, LIPID, AND INSULIN VALUES, INCLUDING INSULIN RESISTANCE VALUES, IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS WITH PCOS INDEPENDENT OF ANTHROPOMETRIC CHANGES. CENTRAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF INDIA NO.: REFCTRI-2008 000291. 2012 7 692 36 EFFECT OF COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND GLYCEMIC PARAMETERS IN PREDIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, GLYCEMIC STATUS, BLOOD PRESSURE AND ANTHROPOMETRY IN PREDIABETES. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY NINE PREDIABETES SUBJECTS AGED 30-75 YEARS. SETTING: YOGA WAS CONDUCTED AT 4 DIFFERENT COMMUNITY DIABETES CLINICS IN MANGALORE, INDIA. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER 3-MONTH YOGA OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUPS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MALONDIALDEHYDE, GLUTATHIONE, VITAMIN C, VITAMIN E, SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE, PLASMA GLUCOSE, GLYCATED HAEMOGLOBIN, BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO AND BLOOD PRESSURE. RESULTS: YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN MALONDIALDEHYDE (P<0.001), RELATIVE TO THE CONTROL GROUP. IN COMPARISON WITH THE CONTROL, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND FASTING GLUCOSE LEVELS AT FOLLOW-UP. NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GLYCATED HAEMOGLOBIN, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO OR ANY OF THE ANTIOXIDANTS WAS OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA INTERVENTION MAY BE HELPFUL IN CONTROL OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN PREDIABETES SUBJECTS. YOGA CAN ALSO BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCTION IN BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND FASTING GLUCOSE. EFFECT OF YOGA ON ANTIOXIDANT PARAMETERS WAS NOT EVIDENT IN THIS STUDY. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER TRIALS INVOLVING ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. 2013 8 913 32 EFFECTIVENESS OF LIQUID FASTING WITH YOGA AND NATUROPATHY TREATMENTS IN REDUCING METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS IN OBESITY. CONTEXT: OBESITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING METABOLIC SYNDROME AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVDS). FASTING IS COMMONLY EMPLOYED BY OBESE PEOPLE TO REDUCE THEIR WEIGHT. LIKEWISE, YOGA AND NATUROPATHY (YN) THAT INCLUDE LIQUID FASTING (LF) HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING WEIGHT FOR PEOPLE WITH METABOLIC DISORDERS. HOWEVER, THE SAFETY OF LF DURING YN TREATMENTS AND ITS EFFECTS ON METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS HAVEN'T YET BEEN REPORTED. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY OF LF DURING YN TREATMENTS AND ITS EFFECTS ON METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN PEOPLE WITH OBESITY. DESIGN: A SINGLE-GROUP, PRETEST-AND-POSTTEST DESIGN WAS ADOPTED FOR THE STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN A YN HOSPITAL LOCATED IN SOUTH INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 176 OBESE PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 65 YEARS. INTERVENTION: TOGETHER WITH YN TREATMENTS, ALL PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT LF USING LIME JUICE WITH JAGGERY, ASH GUARD JUICE, VEGETABLE SOUP, BUTTERMILK, AND KOKUM JUICE FOR A PERIOD OF 5 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS SUCH AS BODY WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), FAT MASS, LIPID PROFILE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE TAKEN AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BODY WEIGHT, BMI, FAT MASS, TRIGLYCERIDES (TG), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C), VERY-LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (VLDL-C), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP), AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT LF DURING YN TREATMENT CANBE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN PEOPLE WITH OBESITY. 2021 9 812 36 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN NON-DIABETIC OFFSPRING OF TYPE-2-DIABETES PARENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PROGRAM ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN NON-DIABETIC OFFSPRING OF DIABETES PARENTS. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED PASSIVE-CONTROLLED STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 64 NON-DIABETIC OFFSPRING OF TYPE-2-DIABETES PARENTS (MEAN-AGE:25.17YEARS). YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED YOGA TRAINING FOR 8 WEEKS. HEART-RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) INDICES: LOW FREQUENCY (LF), HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) AND LF/HF RATIO; FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE (FBG), ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST (OGTT) AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) WERE ESTIMATED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8-WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: WE FOUND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN LF (P=0.005), LF/HF RATIO (P=0.004), IR (P<0.001), OGTT (P=0.003) AND INCREASE IN HF (P=0.022) IN YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS. CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN ANY VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: IMPROVEMENT IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE BY YOGA TRAINING IMPLIES THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF DEVELOPMENT OF DIABETES IN OFFSPRING OF DIABETES PARENTS. 2019 10 2145 34 THE EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS EATING AND YOGA EXERCISE ON BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS OF PREGNANT WOMEN WITH GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS. AIM: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS CARRIED OUT TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF MINDFULNESS EATING AND YOGA EXERCISE ON BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS AMONG PREGNANT THAI WOMEN WITH GDM. BACKGROUND: INTERVENTIONS PROMOTING ACHIEVEMENT OF GOOD GLYCEMIC CONTROL RESULT IN DESIRED PREGNANCY OUTCOMES. LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS EATING AND YOGA EXERCISE ON BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS AMONG PREGNANT WITH GDM. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS CARRIED OUT. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CAPILLARY FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE, 2-H POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE, AND HEMOGLOBIN A1C. RESULTS: THE INTERVENTION GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE, 2-H POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE, AND GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN (HBA1C) IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MINDFULNESS EATING AND YOGA EXERCISE HAD HEALTH BENEFITS ON GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH GDM. IT SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED IN CLINICAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES. 2014 11 828 38 EFFECT OF YOGA ON LIPID PROFILE AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN WOMEN. BACKGROUND: FEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED ABOUT THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON BIOCHEMICAL VARIABLES SUCH AS TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C), TRIGLYCERIDE (TG), AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP) TO LAY A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION REGARDING BENEFITS OF YOGA, BUT ITS EFFECT IS NOT CLEARLY DETECTED YET. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON LIPID PROFILE AND CRP IN WOMEN. METHODS: THIS RESEARCH WAS DESIGNED AS AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. AFTER REVIEWING INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA, SELECTED BIOCHEMICAL VARIABLES SUCH AS TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, AND CRP WERE MEASURED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. YOGA INSTRUCTION WAS DONE THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 26 WEEKS BY AN EXPERIENCED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. AFTER 26 WEEKS OF YOGA INTERVENTION, THE ABOVE-MENTIONED DEPENDENT VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED. SPSS VER. 16 WAS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS. RESULTS: AFTER A 26-WEEK FOLLOW-UP FOR PARTICIPANTS, ONLY 24 WOMEN HAD THE NECESSARY CRITERIA TO BE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE MEAN TG WAS 157.33 +/- 68.416 MG/DL AND 134.33 +/- 58.80 MG/DL BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.108), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN TC WAS 234.83 +/- 48.47 MG/DL AND 183.33 +/- 55.09 MG/DL BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.014), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN HDL-C WAS 31.58 +/- 14.22 MG/DL AND 38.25 +/- 13.5 MG/DL BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.118), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN LDL-C WAS 171.75 +/- 42.69 MG/DL AND 142.91 +/- 36.4 MG/DL BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.030), RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN CRP WAS 0.57 +/- 0.22 MG/L AND 0.71 +/- 0.77 MG/L BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.779), RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULT SHOWED THAT YOGA REDUCED TC AND LDL-C SIGNIFICANTLY, BUT HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON TG, HDL-C, AND CRP. 2019 12 515 40 COMPARING BETWEEN THE EFFECT OF ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET AND YOGA ON THE RESTING METABOLIC RATE, ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES, AND SERUM ADIPOKINE LEVELS IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE STAFF WOMEN. BACKGROUND: WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IS AN IMPORTANT STRATEGY TO PREVENT THE CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY. THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE AND ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET ON RESTING METABOLIC RATE (RMR), ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES, AND SERUM ADIPONECTIN AND LEPTIN IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE WOMEN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OBESE OR OVERWEIGHT WOMEN WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA PRACTICING AND ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET. EXERCISE TRIALS CONSISTED OF 60-MIN HATHA YOGA EQUAL TO 200 KILOCALORIES (KCAL) COMBINED WITH 300 KCAL RESTRICTION PER DAY, AND AN ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET CONSISTED OF 500 KCAL RESTRICTION PER DAY. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD FOR BOTH THE GROUPS WAS 8 WEEKS. RMR, ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES, AND SERUM ADIPONECTIN, LEPTIN, AND LIPID PROFILES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: RMR WAS INCREASED IN YOGA BUT NOT IN THE DIET GROUP (P = 0.001). THE LEVEL OF ADIPONECTIN WAS INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE DIET (P = 0.035). THE CONCENTRATION OF HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN-CHOLESTEROL WAS DECREASED IN THE DIET GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY BUT NOT IN YOGA (P = 0.006). THE LEVEL OF LEPTIN WAS DECREASED IN BOTH THE GROUPS (P = 0.001), AND THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICING ON RMR, AND SERUM ADIPONECTIN, IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE WOMEN. IT SEEMS YOGA PRACTICE WITH LESS ENERGY RESTRICTION COMPARED WITH A COMMON ENERGY RESTRICTION DIET AND IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS. 2020 13 788 41 EFFECT OF YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTION ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: REGULAR AEROBIC EXERCISE CAN EFFECTIVELY INCREASE MICROVASCULAR FUNCTION IN SKELETAL MUSCLE AND PROMOTE THE OXIDATION OF FATTY ACIDS. HOWEVER, WHETHER THE EFFECT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTION IS AFFECTED BY FAT CONTENT IS WORTH OF FURTHER EXPLORATION. IN THIS STUDY, BY MEANS OF YOGA COMBINED WITH EXERCISE, THE AUTHORS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON MORPHOLOGY AND BLOOD LIPIDS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 81 FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY WERE ENROLLED BY BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) OBTAINED FROM THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION WHEN ENTERING THE SCHOOL. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO NORMAL (BMI: 20.98+/-1.52 KG/M2, N.=29), OVERWEIGHT (BMI: 25.57+/-1.34 KG/M2, N.=27), AND OBESITY (BMI: 28.46+/-2.36 KG/M2, N.=25) GROUPS BY BMI, AND ALL OF THEM COMPLETED A 12-WEEK YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING PROGRAM. RELEVANT MORPHOLOGICAL SUCH AS BODY WEIGHT, BODY HEIGHT, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, ETC. AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS SUCH AS LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC) AND TRIGLYCERIDE (TG) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. ONE-WAY ANVOA, PAIRED-SAMPLE T-TEST WERE USED IN THIS STUDY. RESULTS: AFTER TRAINING PROGRAM, THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT: 1) THE HIP, BODY WEIGHT, BMI AND BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IN ALL THREE GROUPS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED; 2) WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE IN NORMAL AND OBESITY GROUPS HAD A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE THAN THAT IN OVERWEIGHT GROUP, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE AND WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO (WHR) IN OVERWEIGHT GROUP WERE BETTER THAN THOSE IN NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT GROUPS; THE DECREASE IN BMI IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY GROUPS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THAT IN NORMAL GROUP, AND THE WEIGHT LOSS AND DECREASED BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IN OBESITY GROUP WERE THE HIGHEST, FOLLOWED BY OVERWEIGHT GROUP, AND THE SMALLEST IN NORMAL GROUP; 3) IN ALL THREE GROUPS, HDL-C SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, LDL-C, TC/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C AND LDL-C/HDL-C SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED, TC AND TG SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN OBESITY GROUP; AND 4) TC/HDL-C AND TG/HDL-C IN OBESITY GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE IN NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT GROUPS, WHILE CHANGE IN TC AND TG WERE THE HIGHEST IN OBESITY GROUP, THE SECOND THE OVERWEIGHT GROUP, AND THE LOWEST IN NORMAL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING HAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. THE YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY POPULATION. 2020 14 2075 43 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 15 2463 40 YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS YOGIC INTERVENTION ON BLOOD SUGAR AND LIPID PROFILE IN ELDER WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: TWENTY ELDERLY (AGE RANGE 55-70 YEARS) T2DM WOMEN WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, NAMELY, YOGIC INTERVENTION GROUP (YIG: N = 10, AGE 64.70 +/- 4.03, BODY MASS INDEX [BMI] 24.26 +/- 3.40) AND CONTROL GROUP (CG: N = 10, AGE 64.40 +/- 4.79, BMI 24.28 +/- 2.36). YIG UNDERWENT YOGA PRACTICE (ASANAS, KRIYAS, PRANAYAMAS) FOR 12 WEEKS (3 SESSIONS/WEEK), WHILE THE CG CONTINUED THEIR USUAL ROUTINE ACTIVITIES. STANDING HEIGHT, BODY WEIGHT, BMI, BLOOD SUGAR, AND LIPID PROFILE WERE MEASURED BEFORE COMMENCEMENT AND AFTER 6 AND 12 WEEKS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.01) DECREASE IN FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE, POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD SUGAR, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, TRIGLYCERIDES, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, AND VERY LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, WITH A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.01) INCREASE IN HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN LEVEL FROM ITS INITIAL VALUE IN YIG, WHILE SHOWING INSIGNIFICANT RESULT IN CG. CONCLUSION: IT CAN BE SAID THAT YOGIC INTERVENTION MAY HAVE THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON BLOOD SUGAR AND LIPID PROFILE IN ELDERLY WOMEN WITH T2DM. 2018 16 938 37 EFFECTS OF 1-YEAR YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS) IS A CLUSTERING OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES MELLITUS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS APPLIED TO PEOPLE WITH METS HAS CONSIDERABLE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON DISEASE PREVENTIVE OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF 1-YEAR OF YOGA EXERCISE ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS INCLUDING CENTRAL OBESITY, HYPERTENSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA AND HYPERGLYCEMIA IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER HONG KONG CHINESE ADULTS WITH METS. METHODS: ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH METS USING NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL EDUCATION PROGRAM CRITERIA (N = 182; MEAN +/- SD AGE = 56 +/- 9.1) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 1-YEAR YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR CONTROL GROUP. SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE, TRIGLYCERIDES, AND HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL WERE EXAMINED AT BASELINE, MIDWAY, AND ON COMPLETION OF THE STUDY. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL AND CALORIC INTAKE WERE ASSESSED AND INCLUDED IN THE COVARIATE ANALYSES. RESULTS: A REDUCTION OF THE NUMBER OF DIAGNOSTIC COMPONENTS FOR METS WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE YOGA INTERVENTION. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE 1-YEAR YOGA INTERVENTION. A TREND TOWARDS A DECREASE IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE WAS OBSERVED FOLLOWING YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA EXERCISE IMPROVES THE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS INCLUDING CENTRAL OBESITY AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS WITH METS. THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT THE COMPLEMENTARY BENEFICIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN MANAGING METS. 2015 17 1970 31 SHORT TERM HEALTH IMPACT OF A YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM ON OBESITY. BACKGROUND: OBESE PERSONS OFTEN FIND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DIFFICULT. THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM, EMPHASIZING BREATHING TECHNIQUES PRACTICED WHILE SEATED, WAS ASSESSED IN OBESE PERSONS. MATERIAL/METHODS: A SINGLE GROUP OF 47 PERSONS WERE ASSESSED ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF A YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM, WITH 6 DAYS OF THE INTERVENTION BETWEEN ASSESSMENTS. THE ASSESSMENTS WERE: BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCES, MID-ARM CIRCUMFERENCE, BODY COMPOSITION, HAND GRIP STRENGTH, POSTURAL STABILITY, SERUM LIPID PROFILE AND FASTING SERUM LEPTIN LEVELS. PARTICIPANTS PRACTICED YOGA FOR 5 HOURS EVERY DAY AND HAD A LOW FAT, HIGH FIBER, VEGETARIAN DIET. LAST AND FIRST DAY DATA WERE COMPARED USING A T-TEST FOR PAIRED DATA. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 6-DAY RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM, PARTICIPANTS SHOWED A DECREASE IN BMI (1.6 PERCENT), WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCES, FAT-FREE MASS, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (7.7 PERCENT DECREASE), HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL) CHOLESTEROL (8.7 PERCENT DECREASE), FASTING SERUM LEPTIN LEVELS (44.2 PERCENT DECREASE) AND AN INCREASE IN POSTURAL STABILITY AND HAND GRIP STRENGTH (P<0.05, ALL COMPARISONS). CONCLUSIONS: A 6-DAY YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM DECREASED THE BMI AND THE FAT-FREE MASS. TOTAL CHOLESTEROL ALSO DECREASED DUE TO REDUCED HDL LEVELS. THIS SUGGESTS THAT A BRIEF, INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM WITH A CHANGE IN DIET CAN POSE CERTAIN RISKS. BENEFITS SEEN WERE BETTER POSTURAL STABILITY, GRIP STRENGTH (THOUGH A 'PRACTICE EFFECT' WAS NOT RULED OUT), REDUCED WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCES AND A DECREASE IN SERUM LEPTIN LEVELS. 2010 18 50 37 A COMPARATIVE CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND WALKING FOR OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE ADULTS. BACKGROUND: WALKING AND YOGA HAVE BEEN INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED FOR WEIGHT CONTROL; HOWEVER, THERE ARE VERY FEW STUDIES COMPARING THE 2 WITH RANDOMIZATION. MATERIAL AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY COMPARED THE EFFECTS OF 90 MINUTES/DAY FOR 15 DAYS OF SUPERVISED YOGA OR SUPERVISED WALKING ON: (I) RELATED BIOCHEMISTRY, (II) ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES, (III) BODY COMPOSITION, (IV) POSTURAL STABILITY, AND (V) BILATERAL HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. SIXTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS, OF WHOM 5 WERE OVERWEIGHT (BMI >/=25 KG/M2) AND 63 WERE OBESE (BMI >/=30 KG/M2; GROUP MEAN AGE +/-S.D., 36.4+/-11.2 YEARS; 35 FEMALES), WERE RANDOMIZED AS 2 GROUPS - (I) A YOGA GROUP AND (II) A WALKING GROUP - GIVEN THE SAME DIET. RESULTS: ALL DIFFERENCES WERE PRE-POST CHANGES WITHIN EACH GROUP. BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05; REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSES) DECREASE IN: BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, LEAN MASS, BODY WATER, AND TOTAL CHOLESTEROL. THE YOGA GROUP INCREASED SERUM LEPTIN (P<0.01) AND DECREASED LDL CHOLESTEROL (P<0.05). THE WALKING GROUP DECREASED SERUM ADIPONECTIN (P<0.05) AND TRIGLYCERIDES (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YOGA AND WALKING IMPROVED ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES AND SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2014 19 170 51 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF 6-WEEK HIGH INTENSITY HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL ON HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE: MODERN HATHA YOGA EXERCISES (YE) PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHICH MAY REDUCE STRESS, FACILITATE RECOVERY AND IMPROVE HEALTH. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF HIGH INTENSITY HATHA YOGA EXERCISES (HIY) ON HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES. METHODS: A 6-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO COMPARE HIY WITH A CONTROL GROUP NOT CHANGING THEIR EXERCISE BEHAVIOR. HEALTHY STUDENTS (N=44; MEDIAN AGE: 25 YEARS, RANGE 20-39 YEARS; HIY: N=21, INCLUDING 3 MEN; CONTROL GROUP: N=23, INCLUDING 3 MEN) NOVICE TO YOGA PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERVENTION WHICH INCLUDED ONE WEEKLY CLASS AND RECOMMENDED HOME TRAINING. PARTICIPANTS PROVIDED SELF-REPORTS IN QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. SELF-REPORTS INCLUDED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE), STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE), SLEEP QUALITY (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX), INSOMNIA (INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX), SUBJECTIVE HEALTH COMPLAINTS (COMMON SYMPTOMS IN GENERAL PRACTICE INDEX) AND SELF-RATED HEALTH (SINGLE-ITEM). RESULTS: AFTER THE 6-WEEK INTERVENTION, THERE WERE NO BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS, SLEEP OR SELF-RATED HEALTH. HOWEVER, WHEN INVESTIGATING ASSOCIATIONS WITHIN THE HIY-GROUP, A HIGHER HIY-DOSE WAS RELATED TO LESS DEPRESSION (R=0.47; P=0.03), IMPROVED SLEEP QUALITY (R=0.55; P=0.01), AND LESS INSOMNIA (R=0.49; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: THERE WERE NO SHORT-TERM BETWEEN-GROUP EFFECTS OF HIY ON MENTAL DISTRESS, SLEEP OR SELF-RATED HEALTH. HOWEVER, WITHIN THE HIY-GROUP, A HIGHER DOSE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH IN TERMS OF DEPRESSION AND WITH IMPROVED SLEEP. ALTHOUGH FUTURE STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLES ARE NEEDED, THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SUGGEST SHORT-TERM POSITIVE EFFECTS OF HIY ON HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG STUDENTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01305096. 2019 20 437 46 CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC EFFECTS OF INTENSIVE HATHA YOGA TRAINING IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN FROM NORTHERN MEXICO. BACKGROUND: HATHA YOGA (HY) CAN BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. HOWEVER, CONVENTIONAL HY (CHY) EXERCISING MAY NOT RESULT IN ENOUGH TRAINING STIMULUS TO IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF AN INTENSIVE HY INTERVENTION (IHY) ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN FROM NORTHERN MEXICO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS PROSPECTIVE QUASIEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, FOUR MIDDLE-AGED AND NINE OLDER CHY PRACTICING FEMALES (YOGINIS) WERE ENROLLED INTO AN 11-WEEK IHY PROGRAM CONSISTING OF 5 SESSIONS/WEEK FOR 90 MIN (55 SESSIONS). THE PROGRAM ADHERENCE, ASANA PERFORMANCE, AND WORK INTENSITY WERE ASSESSED ALONG THE INTERVENTION. ANTHROPOMETRIC [BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), % BODY FAT AND SIGMA SKIN FOLDS], CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS [MAXIMAL EXPIRED AIR VOLUME (VE(MAX)), MAXIMAL O(2) CONSUMPTION (VO(2MAX)), MAXIMAL HEART RATE (HR(MAX)), SYSTOLIC (BPS) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (BPD)], BIOCHEMICAL [GLUCOSE, TRIACYLGLYCEROLS (TAG), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), AND LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C)], AND DIETARY PARAMETERS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER IHY. RESULTS: DAILY CALORIC INTAKE (~1,916 KCAL/DAY), PROGRAM ADHERENCE (~85%), AND EXERCISING SKILLS (ASANA PERFORMANCE) WERE SIMILAR IN BOTH MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. THE IHY PROGRAM DID NOT MODIFY ANY ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. HOWEVER, IT INCREASED VO(2MAX) AND VE(MAX) AND HDL-C WHILE TAG AND LDL-C REMAINED STABLE IN BOTH MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER GROUPS (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: THE PROPOSED IHY PROGRAM IMPROVES DIFFERENT CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS (NAMELY VO(2MAX) AND HDL-C) IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. 2009