1 1374 159 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 2 1533 33 IYENGAR YOGA VERSUS ENHANCED USUAL CARE ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH PREHYPERTENSION TO STAGE I HYPERTENSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE PREVALENCE OF PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION CONTINUES TO INCREASE DESPITE BEING AMENABLE TO NON-PHARMACOLOGIC INTERVENTIONS. IYENGAR YOGA (IY) HAS BEEN PURPORTED TO REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) THOUGH EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED TRIALS IS LACKING. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF IY VERSUS ENHANCED USUAL CARE (EUC) (BASED ON INDIVIDUAL DIETARY ADJUSTMENT) ON 24-H AMBULATORY BP IN YOGA-NAIVE ADULTS WITH UNTREATED PREHYPERTENSION OR STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. IN TOTAL, 26 AND 31 SUBJECTS IN THE IY AND EUC ARMS, RESPECTIVELY, COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN BP BETWEEN THE GROUPS AT 6 AND 12 WEEKS. IN THE EUC GROUP, 24-H SYSTOLIC BP (SBP), DIASTOLIC BP (DBP) AND MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE (MAP) SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED BY 5, 3 AND 3 MMHG, RESPECTIVELY, FROM BASELINE AT 6 WEEKS (P < .05), BUT WERE NO LONGER SIGNIFICANT AT 12 WEEKS. IN THE IY GROUP, 24 H SBP WAS REDUCED BY 6 MMHG AT 12 WEEKS COMPARED TO BASELINE (P = .05). 24 H DBP (P < .01) AND MAP (P < .05) DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY EACH BY 5 MMHG. NO DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN CATECHOLAMINE OR CORTISOL METABOLISM TO EXPLAIN THE DECREASE IN BP IN THE IY GROUP AT 12 WEEKS. TWELVE WEEKS OF IY PRODUCES CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN 24 H SBP AND DBP. LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ESTABLISH THE LONG TERM EFFICACY, ACCEPTABILITY, UTILITY AND POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF IY TO CONTROL BP. 2011 3 274 37 ADDITIONAL BENEFIT OF YOGA TO STANDARD LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN PREHYPERTENSIVE SUBJECTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) IS A KNOWN RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE MORBIDITY. CONSIDERING THE GROWING EVIDENCE OF NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HIGH BP, WE DESIGNED A RANDOMIZED, PARALLEL ACTIVE-CONTROLLED STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND STANDARD LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION (LSM) ON BP AND HEART RATE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREHYPERTENSION (SYSTOLIC BP 120-139 MM HG AND/OR DIASTOLIC BP 80-89 MM HG). VOLUNTEERS (20-60 YEARS) OF BOTH GENDERS WITHOUT ANY KNOWN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE WERE RANDOMIZED INTO EITHER LSM GROUP (N = 92) OR LSM+YOGA GROUP (N = 92). BEFORE THE INTERVENTION, AGE, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, BP AND FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE AND LIPIDS WERE COMPARABLE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. AFTER 12 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION, WE OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE BP AND HEART RATE IN BOTH THE GROUPS. FURTHER, THE REDUCTION IN SYSTOLIC BP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE IN LSM+YOGA GROUP (6 MM HG) AS COMPARED WITH LSM GROUP (4 MM HG). IN ADDITION, 13 PREHYPERTENSIVES BECAME NORMOTENSIVES IN LSM+YOGA GROUP AND FOUR IN LSM GROUP. THE RESULTS INDICATE EFFICACY OF NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION AND THE ADDITIONAL BENEFIT OF YOGA TO STANDARD LSM. FURTHER RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD MAY ADD TO THE LEVEL OF EVIDENCE ON THE BENEFIT OF YOGA, IN THE REDUCTION OF BP IN HIGH BP SUBJECTS, IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. 2015 4 692 40 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 5 1030 47 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 6 2153 28 THE EFFECTS OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA ON SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN MILD HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. AN OPEN LABEL INTERVENTION STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN ON 26 MILD HYPERTENSIVES AND 26 APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS (30-60 Y), FOR THE EFFECT OF SUDARSHAN KRIYA YOGA PRACTICE FOR TWO MONTHS AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY. IN THE HYPERTENSIVES, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (P < 0.01), SERUM UREA (P < 0.01) AND PLASMA MDA (MALONDIALDEHYDE ADDUCTS) AS OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKER (P < 0.05). OTHER PARAMETERS; VIZ.; PLASMA LEVELS OF CHOLESTEROL, TRIGLYCERIDES, GLUCOSE, DID NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY (P > 0.1). THE PATTERN OF CHANGE IN MOST OF THE STUDY PARAMETERS WAS SUCH THAT VALUES ABOVE NORMAL RANGE WERE LOWERED BUT VALUES WITHIN NORMAL RANGE WERE UNALTERED. THE ACTION OF YOGA ON DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, MALONDIALDEHYDE ADDUCTS AND KIDNEY FUNCTION IN HYPERTENSIVES WAS OF COUNTERACTIVE NATURE AND FELT TO BE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT THAN THE EFFECT OF DRUGS. 2011 7 674 41 EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE SUBJECTS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. DESIGN AND SETTING: NONRANDOMIZED, SINGLE-ARM INTERVENTIONAL STUDY CONDUCTED FROM AUGUST 2012 TO MARCH 2015 AT INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC, DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY, ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEW DELHI, INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: OVERWEIGHT (BODY-MASS INDEX [BMI], 23-24.9 KG/M(2)) AND OBESE (BMI, >/=25 KG/M(2)) PERSONS (N = 279) AGED 20-60 YEARS. INTERVENTION: PRETESTED YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, INCLUDING ASANAS (POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, LECTURES, GROUP SUPPORT, NUTRITION AWARENESS PROGRAM, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS HRQOL, MEASURED BY USING SHORT VERSION OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL-BREF) QUESTIONNAIRE. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, PULSE RATE, LIPID PROFILE, AND FASTING GLUCOSE. A SUBGROUP ANALYSIS ACCORDING TO SEX WAS ALSO PERFORMED. RESULTS: THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH IMPROVED AFTER SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10, AND EFFICACY WAS NOTED IN BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SUBGROUPS. AFTER 10 DAYS OF INTERVENTION, THE FOLLOWING ALSO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY: BODY WEIGHT, BMI, TOTAL BODY FAT, WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, TRIGLYCERIDES, AND FASTING GLUCOSE. CONCLUSION: A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HRQOL IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. 2016 8 324 42 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 9 1352 40 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF MIND SOUND RESONANCE TECHNIQUE (MSRT - A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE) ON BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, AND STATE ANXIETY IN INDIVIDUALS WITH HYPERTENSION: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND MIND SOUND RESONANCE TECHNIQUE (MSRT) IS A YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUE. PREVIOUS STUDIES ON MSRT DEMONSTRATED ITS POTENTIAL HEALTH-BENEFITING EFFECTS IN BOTH CLINICAL AND NONCLINICAL POPULATION. PRESENT STUDY INTENDED TO ASSESS THE ACUTE EFFECT OF MSRT INTERVENTION ON BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE (HR), AND STATE ANXIETY IN PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION (HTN). METHODS THIRTY PARTICIPANTS (13 FEMALES) WITH HTN, WITHIN THE AGE RANGE 30-60 YEARS (WITH MEAN+/-SD: 57.23+/-11.3 YEARS), WHO VISITED SVYASA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS TO ATTEND 1-WEEK RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROGRAM FOR HTN TREATMENT, WERE CONSIDERED FOR THIS STUDY BASED ON INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA. ALL PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A 4-DAY MSRT ORIENTATION SESSIONS PRIOR TO THE STUDY. EACH PARTICIPANT UNDERWENT 30-MIN SESSION OF BOTH MSRT AND SUPINE REST (SR) ON 2 SUCCESSIVE DAYS. SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES, PULSE RATE, AND STATE ANXIETY WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER BOTH MSRT AND SR SESSIONS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS VERSION 16. REPEATED-MEASURE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS APPLIED TO ASSESS WITHIN-SUBJECTS CHANGES. RESULTS AFTER MSRT SESSION, SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP), DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP), HR, AND STATE ANXIETY WAS OBSERVED COMPARED TO BASELINE. SIMILARLY, AFTER SR SESSION, SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE FOUND IN HR AND STATE ANXIETY. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS SEEN IN SBP AND DBP FOLLOWING SR COMPARED TO SR SESSION; MSRT SESSION SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN SBP, DBP, HR, AND STATE ANXIETY. CONCLUSION PRESENT STUDY DEMONSTRATED THE USEFULNESS OF SINGLE SESSION OF MSRT IN REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE, HR, AND STATE ANXIETY AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH HTN AS COMPARED TO SR. THESE FINDINGS ENCOURAGE THE FURTHER STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZE AND LONG-TERM INTERVENTION WITH A ROBUST RESEARCH DESIGN. 2018 10 679 46 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 11 938 43 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 12 263 41 ACUTE CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO A SESSION OF BIKRAM YOGA: A PILOT UNCONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: MAIN CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS SUCH AS HEART RATE (HR), BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (MOC) ARE TIGHTLY REGULATED BY A MULTIFACTORIAL, NONLINEAR CONTROL SYSTEM. INCREASED HR BECAUSE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE. POSTURAL CHANGES HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BARORECEPTORS, AND STRETCHING EXERCISES AND ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS MODULATE MUSCLE MECHANORECEPTORS ELICITING INCREASES IN BLOOD PRESSURE. HOWEVER, A HOT ENVIRONMENT INCREASES THE CORE TEMPERATURE INDUCING VASODILATION AND PLASMA VOLUME CHANGES THAT MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO A DROP IN BLOOD PRESSURE. DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA, ALL THESE FACTORS CONVERGE AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RESULTING CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND MOC. METHODS: SIXTEEN APPARENTLY HEALTHY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS, REGULAR PRACTITIONERS OF BIKRAM YOGA, WERE EVALUATED DURING A 90 MIN SESSION. SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) WERE MEASURED IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH POSTURE AND HR WAS MEASURED CONTINUOUSLY DURING THE PRACTICE. RESULTS: HR AND ESTIMATED MOC INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER BASELINE DURING THE EXERCISE (+62.3% AND +63.6%, RESPECTIVELY). HR MEAN VALUE ACROSS THE ENTIRE BIKRAM YOGA SESSION WAS 126.6 +/- 14.3 BPM REACHING A MAXIMUM OF 168.1 +/- 20.2 BPM. SBP WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED OVER BASELINE AT ANY TIME DURING THE PRACTICE WITH A MEAN VALUE OF 117.0 +/- 10.1 MMHG AND DBP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED OVER BASELINE MOST OF THE TIME (-10.1%, MEAN 71.2 +/- 7.3 MMHG) WITH PARTICULAR DECLINE TOWARD THE END OF THE PRACTICE DURING THE FLOOR POSTURES. CONCLUSIONS: DBP DURING THE PRACTICE OF BIKRAM YOGA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT PREVIOUSLY REPORTED FOR NONHEATED HATHA YOGA FOR NORMOTENSIVE SUBJECTS. FURTHER STUDIES EVALUATING THE SAME GROUP AT BOTH CONDITIONS ARE NEEDED TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGES IN HR, SBP, DBP, AND MOC. 2019 13 2213 27 THE HYPOTENSIVE EFFECT OF YOGA'S BREATHING EXERCISES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF PRANAYAMA (YOGA'S BREATHING EXERCISES) ON BP AND ITS APPLICABILITY IN THE TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION. THIRTEEN TRIALS, ASSESSING ACUTE (EIGHT STUDIES) AND CHRONIC (FIVE STUDIES) BP RESPONSE TO PRANAYAMA WERE INCLUDED. SIGNIFICANT BP REDUCTIONS AFTER PRANAYAMA WERE FOUND IN BOTH ACUTE (2-10 MMHG MEAN SBP REDUCTION, N = 5 STUDIES; 1 MMHG MEAN DBP REDUCTION, N = 1 STUDY) AND CHRONIC STUDIES (4-21 MMHG MEAN SBP REDUCTION, N = 3 STUDIES; 4-7 MMHG MEAN DBP REDUCTION, N = 2 STUDIES). THE PRANAYAMA'S EFFECT ON BP WERE NOT ROBUST AGAINST SELECTION BIAS DUE TO THE LOW QUALITY OF STUDIES. BUT, THE LOWERING BP EFFECT OF PRANAYAMA IS ENCOURAGING. THE PRANAYAMA WITH SLOWER RHYTHMS AND MANIPULATION OF THE NOSTRILS, MAINLY WITH BREATHS BY THE LEFT, PRESENT BETTER RESULTS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE OTHER TYPES AND SHOULD BE THE MAIN PRANAYAMA APPLIED WHEN THE GOAL IS TO REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE ESPECIALLY IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. 2017 14 435 43 CARDIOPULMONARY AND METABOLIC EFFECTS OF YOGA IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. BACKGROUND: YOGA THE SPIRITUAL UNION OF MIND WITH THE DIVINE INTELLIGENCE OF THE UNIVERSE AIMS TO LIBERATE A HUMAN BEING FROM CONFLICTS OF BODY-MIND DUALITY. BENEFICIAL CARDIOVASCULAR AND PULMONARY EFFECTS OF YOGA ARE IN PAR WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE, EVEN AMOUNTING TO REPLACE THE EXERCISE MODEL. WE CONDUCTED AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS, TO ANALYZE THE IMPACT OF SHORT-TERM YOGA TRAINING ON CARDIOVASCULAR, PULMONARY, AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS, LIPID PROFILE, AND THYROID FUNCTION TESTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A SAMPLE OF FIFTY NEW RECRUITS ATTENDING THE DISTRICT YOGA CENTER WAS SUBJECT TO 75 MIN YOGA PRACTICE A DAY FOR 41 DAYS. BASAL VALUES OF CARDIOVASCULAR, PULMONARY, AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS, LIPID PROFILE, AND THYROID FUNCTION TESTS WERE RECORDED BEFORE YOGA TRAINING AND WERE REASSESSED FOR POSTYOGA CHANGES AFTER 41 DAYS. RESULTS: AFTER YOGA PRACTICE THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE RESTING HEART RATE, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MEAN BLOOD PRESSURE OF THE PARTICIPANTS. EFFECTS ON AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTS WERE VARIABLE AND INCONCLUSIVE. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FORCED VITAL CAPACITY, FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 S, AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE AFTER YOGA. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BODY MASS INDEX WAS OBSERVED. EFFECTS ON METABOLIC PARAMETERS WERE PROMISING WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN FASTING BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL, SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, SERUM TRIGLYCERIDES SERUM LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN LEVELS, AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THYROID FUNCTION TESTS AFTER YOGA. CONCLUSION: SHORT-TERM YOGA PRACTICE HAS NO EFFECT ON THYROID FUNCTIONS. YOGA PRACTICE WAS FOUND BENEFICIAL IN MAINTAINING PHYSIOLOGICAL MILIEU PERTAINING TO CARDIOVASCULAR AND OTHER METABOLIC PARAMETERS. 2017 15 300 30 AN ASSESSMENT OF A SEQUENCE OF YOGA EXERCISES TO PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESCRIBES THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA SEQUENCE FOLLOWING HEMODYNAMIC AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. THIRTY-THREE VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY (CONTROL = 16 AND YOGA = 17) FOR FOUR MONTHS. BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS, CARDIAC AND RESPIRATORY RATE WERE COLLECTED MONTHLY, WHILE THE BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE WAS TAKEN AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE PROGRAM. TO ANALYZE THE DATA, STUDENT'S T TEST AND REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART AND RESPIRATORY RATE (P < 0.05). AS FOR THE BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS BETWEEN INITIAL VALUES AND FINAL RESPONSES GREATER THAN THE CONTROL OF FASTING GLUCOSE, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LDL-CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDES. THE ELABORATED SEQUENCE PRACTICE PROMOTED SIGNIFICANT CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC BENEFITS. THE YOGA EXERCISES PERFORMED IN THE PROPOSED SEQUENCE CONSTITUTE COMPLEMENTARY NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL CONTROL OF BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. 2013 16 752 41 EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM BRAHMAKUMARIS RAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES. EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM BRAHMAKUMARIS RAJA YOGA MEDITATION ON PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES LIKE HEART RATE (HR), RESPIRATORY RATE (RR), SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) WAS EVALUATED IN 100 SUBJECTS PRACTICING RAJA YOGA MEDITATION. ALL 100 SUBJECTS (33 MEN AND 67 WOMEN) WERE AGED 30 YEARS AND ABOVE (MEAN AGE 52.06 +/- 12.76 YEARS). SHORT-TERM MEDITATORS (STM) (N = 27) PRACTICED RAJA YOGA MEDITATION FOR DURATION OF SIX MONTHS TO FIVE YEARS (MEAN DURATION 3.37 +/- 1.67 YEARS) AND LONG-TERM MEDITATORS (LTM) (N = 73) PRACTICED RAJA YOGA MEDITATION FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS (MEAN DURATION 11.19 +/- 5.13 YEARS). THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO MEDITATE AND THE PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES (HR, RR, SBP AND DBP) WERE RECORDED TWICE (15 MINUTES AND 30 MINUTES) AFTER BEGINNING OF MEDITATION. ALSO, THE FASTING BLOOD SUGAR WAS ESTIMATED BY GLUCOMETER. THE STUDY SUBJECTS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN AGE AND VARIOUS ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS BODY WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX, WAIST-HIP RATIO AND FASTING BLOOD SUGAR. COMPARISON BETWEEN STM AND LTM SHOWED THAT THE CHANGES FROM BASELINE VALUES (FROM PREMEDITATION TO POST-MEDITATION AT 15 AND 30 MINUTES) IN LTM WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT WITH THOSE IN STM (P > 0.05). HOWEVER, WITHIN GROUP DIFFERENCES IN LTM REVEALED THAT CHANGES IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT WHEN COMPARED BETWEEN PRE AND POST MEDITATION BOTH AT 15 AND 30 MINUTES. THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT THE LONG-TERM PRACTICE OF RAJA YOGA MEDITATION IMPROVES BASIC CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS DUE TO SHIFTING OF THE AUTONOMIC BALANCE IN FAVOR OF PARASYMPATHETIC INSTEAD OF SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM. 2012 17 174 30 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL ON AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL (NONAEROBIC EXERCISE) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREHYPERTENSION AND STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION. A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL WAS PERFORMED USING TWO ARMS: (1) YOGA AND (2) ACTIVE CONTROL. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE 24-HOUR DAY AND NIGHT AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES. WITHIN-GROUP AND BETWEEN-GROUP ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED USING PAIRED T TESTS AND REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (TIME X GROUP), RESPECTIVELY. EIGHTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED, WITH 68 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING THE TRIAL. WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSES FOUND 24-HOUR DIASTOLIC, NIGHT DIASTOLIC, AND MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE ALL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE YOGA GROUP (-3.93, -4.7, -4.23 MM HG, RESPECTIVELY) BUT NO SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP CHANGES IN THE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP. DIRECT COMPARISONS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH THE CONTROL GROUP FOUND A SINGLE BLOOD PRESSURE VARIABLE (DIASTOLIC NIGHT) TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT (P=.038). THIS STUDY HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH MILD HYPERTENSION. ALTHOUGH THIS STUDY WAS NOT ADEQUATELY POWERED TO SHOW BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES, THE SIZE OF THE YOGA-INDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION APPEARS TO JUSTIFY PERFORMING A DEFINITIVE TRIAL OF THIS INTERVENTION TO TEST WHETHER IT CAN PROVIDE MEANINGFUL THERAPEUTIC VALUE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION. 2014 18 814 30 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YEARS. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YRS OF AGE. PULSE RATE, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND VALSALVA RATIO WERE STUDIED IN 50 CONTROL SUBJECTS (NOT DOING ANY TYPE OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE) AND 50 STUDY SUBJECTS WHO HAD BEEN PRACTICING YOGA FOR 5 YEARS. FROM THE STUDY IT WAS OBSERVED THAT SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE PULSE RATE OCCURS IN SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA (P<0.001). THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN VALUES OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BETWEEN STUDY GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP WAS ALSO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01 AND P<0.001 RESPECTIVELY). THE SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION WITH AGE IN THE STUDY GROUP (R1 SYSTOLIC= 0.631 AND R1 DIASTOLIC = 0.610) AS WELL AS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (R2 SYSTOLIC = 0.981 AND R2 DIASTOLIC = 0.864). THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORRELATION COEFFICIENT OF BOTH THE GROUPS WAS ALSO TESTED WITH THE USE OF Z TRANSFORMATION AND THE DIFFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANT (Z SYSTOLIC= 4.041 AND Z DIASTOLIC= 2.901). VALSALVA RATIO WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS THAN IN CONTROLS (P<0.001). OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA REDUCES THE AGE RELATED DETERIORATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS. 2003 19 913 44 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 20 658 44 EFFECT OF 1-WEEK YOGA-BASED RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM ON CARDIOVASCULAR VARIABLES OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. INTRODUCTION: HYPERTENSION (HTN) IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN AND A LEADING CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WORLDWIDE. YOGA IS A FORM OF MIND-BODY MEDICINE SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN CONTROLLING BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) AND REDUCES CARDIAC RISK FACTORS IN HTN. INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) IS A RESIDENTIAL YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROVEN TO BE BENEFICIAL IN SEVERAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFICACY OF 1 WEEK OF RESIDENTIAL IAYT INTERVENTION ON CARDIOVASCULAR PARAMETERS IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. METHODOLOGY: TWENTY HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS (7 FEMALES) WITHIN AGE RANGE BETWEEN 30 AND 60 YEARS (AVERAGE; 46.62 +/- 9.9 YEARS), WHO UNDERWENT 1 WEEK OF IAYT TREATMENT FOR HTN, WERE COMPARED WITH AGE- GENDER-MATCHED NON-IAYT GROUP (5 FEMALES; AVERAGE AGE; 47.08 +/- 9.69 YEARS) IN TERMS OF SYSTOLIC BP (SBP), DIASTOLIC BP (DBP), MEAN ARTERIAL PRESSURE (MAP), CARDIAC OUTPUT (CO), STROKE VOLUME (SV), BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY (BRS), AND TOTAL PERIPHERAL VASCULAR RESISTANCE (TPVR), IAYT PROGRAM CONSISTED OF SESSIONS OF ASANAS, BREATHING PRACTICES, MEDITATION AND RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, LOW SALT, LOW-CALORIE DIET, DEVOTIONAL SESSION, AND COUNSELING. INDIVIDUALS IN NON-IAYT GROUP FOLLOWED THEIR NORMAL ROUTINE. ALL THE VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER ONE WEEK. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING SPSS VERSION 16. RM-ANOVA WAS APPLIED TO ASSESS WITHIN GROUP AND BETWEEN GROUP CHANGES AFTER INTERVENTION. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SBP (P = 0.004), DBP (P = 0.008), MAP (0.03), BRS (P < 0.001), AND TPVR (P = 0.007) IN IAYT, GROUP WHEREAS IN CONTROL GROUP, WE DID NOT FIND SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN ANY OF THE VARIABLES. BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISON SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SBP (P = 0.038), BRS (P = 0.034), AND TPVR (P = 0.015) IN IAYT GROUP AS COMPARED TO NON-IAYT GROUP. CONCLUSION: ONE-WEEK IAYT INTERVENTION SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN BAROREFLEX SENSITIVITY, SYSTOLIC BP, AND TOTAL PERIPHERAL VASCULAR RESISTANCE IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. HOWEVER, FURTHER RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS NEED TO BE PERFORMED TO CONFIRM THE PRESENT FINDINGS. 2018