1 2867 121 YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE TREATMENT AND COMPOSITE TREATMENT GOALS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES IN A RURAL SOUTH INDIAN SETUP- A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY. THIS MULTICENTRE RETROSPECTIVE STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF ADJUNCT YOGA-TREATMENT IN ACHIEVING COMPOSITE CARDIOVASCULAR GOALS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D), SET FORTH BY THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION (ADA) IN RURAL INDIAN SETTINGS. RECORDS WERE EXTRACTED FOR 146 T2D PATIENTS, AGED >/=20-70 YEARS, AND TREATED UNDER THE "APOLLO TOTAL HEALTH PROGRAMME" FOR RURAL DIABETES MANAGEMENT, FOR THE PERIOD APRIL 2016 TO NOVEMBER 2016. THE STUDY COHORT COMPRISED OF TWO TREATMENT GROUPS (N = 73 EACH); NON-YOGA GROUP (STANDARD OF CARE) AND YOGA GROUP (ADJUNCT YOGA-TREATMENT). PROPENSITY SCORE MATCHING WAS APPLIED BETWEEN THE STUDY GROUPS TO DEFINE THE COHORT. COMPOSITE CARDIOVASCULAR SCORES WERE BASED ON THE COMBINATION OF INDIVIDUAL ADA GOALS; A1C < 7%, BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) < 140/90 MMHG, STRINGENT BP (<130/80 MMHG) AND LIPID, LDL-C < 100 MG/DL [RISK FACTOR FOR ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE]. LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO COMPARE BETWEEN THE TWO TREATMENT GROUPS. COMPARED TO STANDARD OF CARE, ADJUNCT YOGA-TREATMENT WAS FOUND TO SIGNIFICANTLY FACILITATE THE ATTAINMENT OF ADA COMPOSITE SCORE BY 8-FOLD; A1C, ~2-FOLD; LDL-C, ~2-FOLD; BP < 140/90 MMHG AND <130/80 MMHG BY ~8-AND ~6-FOLD RESPECTIVELY. THIS STUDY PROVIDES THE FIRST EVIDENCE FOR SIGNIFICANT EFFICACY OF ADJUNCT YOGA-TREATMENT FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF FAVOURABLE TREATMENT GOALS FOR T2D IN RURAL INDIAN SETTINGS. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2020/02/0232790. 2020 2 2213 24 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 3 1499 27 INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE RISE IN SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT GLAUCOMA DURING FOUR COMMON YOGA POSITIONS. PURPOSE: TO MEASURE CHANGES IN INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE (IOP) IN ASSOCIATION WITH YOGA EXERCISES WITH A HEAD-DOWN POSITION. METHODS: THE SINGLE CENTER, PROSPECTIVE, OBSERVATIONAL STUDY INCLUDED 10 SUBJECTS WITH PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA AND 10 NORMAL INDIVIDUALS, WHO PERFORMED THE YOGA EXERCISES OF ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA, UTTANASANA, HALASANA AND VIPARITA KARANI FOR TWO MINUTES EACH. IOP WAS MEASURED BY PNEUMATONOMETRY AT BASELINE AND DURING AND AFTER THE EXERCISES. RESULTS: ALL YOGA POSES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.01) RISE IN IOP WITHIN ONE MINUTE AFTER ASSUMING THE YOGA POSITION. THE HIGHEST IOP INCREASE (P < 0.01) WAS MEASURED IN THE ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA POSITION (IOP INCREASE FROM 17 +/- 3.2 MMHG TO 28 +/- 3.8 MMHG IN GLAUCOMA PATIENTS; FROM 17 +/- 2.8 MMHG TO 29 +/- 3.9 MMHG IN NORMAL INDIVIDUALS), FOLLOWED BY THE UTTANASANA POSITION (17 +/- 3.9 MMHG TO 27 +/- 3.4 MMHG (GLAUCOMA PATIENTS) AND FROM 18 +/- 2.5 MMHG TO 26 +/- 3.6 MMHG NORMAL INDIVIDUALS)), THE HALASANA POSITION (18 +/- 2.8 MMHG TO 24 +/- 3.5 MMHG (GLAUCOMA PATIENTS); 18 +/- 2.7 MMHG TO 22 +/- 3.4 MMHG (NORMAL INDIVIDUALS)), AND FINALLY THE VIPARITA KIRANI POSITION (17 +/- 4 MMHG TO 21 +/- 3.6 MMHG (GLAUCOMA PATIENTS); 17 +/- 2.8 TO 21 +/- 2.4 MMHG (NORMAL INDIVIDUALS)). IOP DROPPED BACK TO BASELINE VALUES WITHIN TWO MINUTES AFTER RETURNING TO A SITTING POSITION. OVERALL, IOP RISE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN GLAUCOMA AND NORMAL SUBJECTS (P = 0.813), ALL THOUGH GLAUCOMA EYES TENDED TO HAVE MEASUREMENTS 2 MM HG HIGHER ON AVERAGE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA EXERCISES WITH HEAD-DOWN POSITIONS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH A RAPID RISE IN IOP IN GLAUCOMA AND HEALTHY EYES. IOP RETURNED TO BASELINE VALUES WITHIN 2 MINUTES. FUTURE STUDIES ARE WARRANTED ADDRESSING WHETHER YOGA EXERCISE ASSOCIATED IOP CHANGES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SIMILAR CHANGES IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID PRESSURE AND WHETHER THEY INCREASE THE RISK OF GLAUCOMA PROGRESSION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV #NCT01915680. 2015 4 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 5 2128 31 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN MODIFYING RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND METABOLIC SYNDROME: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: YOGA, A POPULAR MIND-BODY PRACTICE, MAY PRODUCE CHANGES IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) AND METABOLIC SYNDROME RISK FACTORS. DESIGN: THIS WAS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND RANDOM-EFFECTS META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS). METHODS: ELECTRONIC SEARCHES OF MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PSYCINFO, AND THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE PERFORMED FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND RCTS THROUGH DECEMBER 2013. STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY WERE ENGLISH, PEER-REVIEWED, FOCUSED ON ASANA-BASED YOGA IN ADULTS, AND REPORTED RELEVANT OUTCOMES. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY SELECTED ARTICLES AND ASSESSED QUALITY USING COCHRANE'S RISK OF BIAS TOOL. RESULTS: OUT OF 1404 RECORDS, 37 RCTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND 32 IN THE META-ANALYSIS. COMPARED TO NON-EXERCISE CONTROLS, YOGA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT FOR BODY MASS INDEX (-0.77 KG/M(2) (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL -1.09 TO -0.44)), SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (-5.21 MMHG (-8.01 TO -2.42)), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (-12.14 MG/DL (-21.80 TO -2.48)), AND HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (3.20 MG/DL (1.86 TO 4.54)). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE SEEN IN BODY WEIGHT (-2.32 KG (-4.33 TO -0.37)), DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (-4.98 MMHG (-7.17 TO -2.80)), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (-18.48 MG/DL (-29.16 TO -7.80)), TRIGLYCERIDES (-25.89 MG/DL (-36.19 TO -15.60), AND HEART RATE (-5.27 BEATS/MIN (-9.55 TO -1.00)), BUT NOT FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE (-5.91 MG/DL (-16.32 TO 4.50)) NOR GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN (-0.06% HB (-0.24 TO 0.11)). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN YOGA AND EXERCISE. ONE STUDY FOUND AN IMPACT ON SMOKING ABSTINENCE. CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS PROMISING EVIDENCE OF YOGA ON IMPROVING CARDIO-METABOLIC HEALTH. FINDINGS ARE LIMITED BY SMALL TRIAL SAMPLE SIZES, HETEROGENEITY, AND MODERATE QUALITY OF RCTS. 2016 6 166 25 A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON PREGNANCY OUTCOME IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDER OF PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND PREGNANCY OUTCOME IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDER OF PREGNANCY. METHODS: SEVENTY-NINE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO STUDY AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE STUDY GROUP RECEIVED THE INTERVENTION IN THE FORM OF INTEGRATED YOGA FOR 4 WEEKS. FINAL ANALYSIS WAS DONE ON 30 PATIENTS EACH OF STUDY AND CONTROL GROUP. RESULTS: THE MEAN SYSTOLIC BP DECLINED BY 7.43 +/- 5.86 MMHG IN THE STUDY GROUP AS COMPARED TO 2.50 +/- 5.21 MM HG IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P VALUE 0.002). THE MEAN DIASTOLIC BP PRIOR TO DELIVERY WAS 88.00 +/- 3.71 MMHG IN THE STUDY GROUP AND 92.20 +/- 5.02 MMHG IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.001). THE MATERNAL COMFORT IN LABOR WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER AND THE DURATION OF LABOR SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE STUDY GROUP. CONCLUSION: INTEGRATED YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCED SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES AND INCREASED MATERNAL COMFORT DURING LABOR IN HYPERTENSIVE DISORDER OF PREGNANCY. 2021 7 274 33 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 8 263 21 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 9 2491 24 YOGA AS ANTIHYPERTENSIVE LIFESTYLE THERAPY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS ANTIHYPERTENSIVE LIFESTYLE THERAPY AND IDENTIFY MODERATORS THAT ACCOUNT FOR VARIABILITY IN THE BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) RESPONSE TO YOGA. METHODS: WE SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHED 6 ELECTRONIC DATABASES FROM INCEPTION THROUGH JUNE 4, 2018, FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE JOURNALS ON TRIALS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS THAT INVOLVED ADULT PARTICIPANTS, REPORTED PREINTERVENTION AND POSTINTERVENTION BP, AND HAD A NONEXERCISE/NONDIET CONTROL GROUP. OUR SEARCH YIELDED 49 QUALIFYING CONTROLLED TRIALS (56 INTERVENTIONS). WE (1) EVALUATED THE RISK OF BIAS AND METHODOLOGICAL STUDY QUALITY, (2) PERFORMED META-REGRESSION ANALYSIS FOLLOWING RANDOM-EFFECTS ASSUMPTIONS, AND (3) GENERATED ADDITIVE MODELS THAT REPRESENTED THE LARGEST POSSIBLE CLINICALLY RELEVANT BP REDUCTIONS. RESULTS: ON AVERAGE, THE 3517 TRIAL PARTICIPANTS WERE MIDDLE-AGED (49.2+/-19.5 YEARS), OVERWEIGHT (27.9+/-3.6 KG/M(2)) ADULTS WITH HIGH BP (SYSTOLIC BP, 129.3+/-13.3 MM HG; DIASTOLIC BP, 80.7+/-8.4 MM HG). YOGA WAS PRACTICED 4.8+/-3.4 SESSIONS PER WEEK FOR 59.2+/-25.0 MINUTES PER SESSION FOR 13.2+/-7.5 WEEKS. ON AVERAGE, YOGA ELICITED MODERATE REDUCTIONS IN SYSTOLIC BP (WEIGHTED MEAN EFFECT SIZE, -0.47; 95% CI, -0.62-0.32, -5.0 MM HG) AND DIASTOLIC BP (WEIGHTED MEAN EFFECT SIZE, -0.47; 95% CI, -0.61 TO -0.32; -3.9 MM HG) COMPARED WITH CONTROLS (P<.001 FOR BOTH SYSTOLIC BP AND DIASTOLIC BP). CONTROLLING FOR PUBLICATION BIAS AND METHODOLOGICAL STUDY QUALITY, WHEN YOGA WAS PRACTICED 3 SESSIONS PER WEEK AMONG SAMPLES WITH HYPERTENSION, YOGA INTERVENTIONS THAT INCLUDED BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND MEDITATION/MENTAL RELAXATION ELICITED BP REDUCTIONS OF 11/6 MM HG COMPARED WITH THOSE THAT DID NOT (IE, 6/3 MM HG). CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA IS A VIABLE ANTIHYPERTENSIVE LIFESTYLE THERAPY THAT PRODUCES THE GREATEST BP BENEFITS WHEN BREATHING TECHNIQUES AND MEDITATION/MENTAL RELAXATION ARE INCLUDED. 2019 10 1346 32 HYPERTENSION ANALYSIS OF STRESS REDUCTION USING MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND YOGA: RESULTS FROM THE HARMONY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE HARMONY STUDY WAS A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL EXAMINING THE EFFICACY OF AN 8-WEEK MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (MBSR) PROGRAM FOR BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) LOWERING AMONG UNMEDICATED STAGE 1 HYPERTENSIVE PARTICIPANTS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION BASED ON AMBULATORY BP WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER IMMEDIATE TREATMENT OF MBSR FOR 8 WEEKS OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. PRIMARY OUTCOME ANALYSIS EVALUATED WHETHER CHANGE IN AWAKE AND 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BP FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 12 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS. A WITHIN-GROUP BEFORE AND AFTER MBSR ANALYSIS WAS ALSO PERFORMED. RESULTS: THE STUDY ENROLLED 101 ADULTS (38% MALE) WITH BASELINE AVERAGE 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BP OF 135+/-7.9/82+/-5.8MM HG AND DAYTIME AMBULATORY BP OF 140+/-7.7/87+/-6.3 MMHG. AT WEEK 12, THE CHANGE FROM BASELINE IN 24-HOUR AMBULATORY BP WAS 0.4+/-6.7/0.0+/-4.9MM HG FOR THE IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION AND 0.4+/-7.8/-0.4+/-4.6MM HG FOR THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL FOR ALL AMBULATORY BP PARAMETERS. THE SECONDARY WITHIN-GROUP ANALYSIS FOUND A SMALL REDUCTION IN BP AFTER MBSR COMPARED WITH BASELINE, A FINDING LIMITED TO FEMALE SUBJECTS IN A SEX ANALYSIS. CONCLUSIONS: MBSR DID NOT LOWER AMBULATORY BP BY A STATISTICALLY OR CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT IN UNTREATED, STAGE 1 HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS WHEN COMPARED WITH A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. IT LEAVES UNTESTED WHETHER MBSR MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR LOWERING BP BY IMPROVING ADHERENCE IN TREATED HYPERTENSIVE PARTICIPANTS. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT00825526. 2014 11 988 26 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON BLOOD PRESSURE, SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE, AND CORTISOL FUNCTION AMONG NORMOTENSIVE AND PREHYPERTENSIVE YOUTH. OBJECTIVE: EVIDENCE IS ACCUMULATING, PREDOMINANTLY AMONG CLINICAL TRIALS IN ADULTS, THAT YOGA IMPROVES BLOOD PRESSURE (BP) CONTROL, WITH DOWNREGULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS AND THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS) PROJECTED AS UNDERLYING MECHANISMS. THIS PILOT STUDY ASSESSED WHETHER HATHA YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REDUCE BP AMONG YOUTH AND WHETHER DAMPENING OF THE SNS AND/OR HPA ACTIVITY IS A LIKELY PATHWAY OF CHANGE. DESIGN: THIRTY-ONE SEVENTH GRADERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A HATHA YOGA PROGRAM (HYP) OR ATTENTION CONTROL (AC) MUSIC OR ART CLASS. BASELINE AND 3-MONTH EVALUATIONS INCLUDED RESTING BP; OVERNIGHT URINE SAMPLES; AND SALIVA COLLECTED AT BEDTIME, UPON AWAKENING, AND AT 30 AND 60 MINUTES AFTER AWAKENING FOR ALPHA-AMYLASE AND CORTISOL ASSAYS. RESULTS: TWENTY-EIGHT (14 IN THE HYP GROUP AND 14 IN THE AC GROUP) STUDENTS WERE ASSESSED BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. BP CHANGES FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION WERE -3.0/-2.0 MMHG FOR THE HYP GROUP AND -0.07/-0.79 MMHG FOR THE AC GROUP (P=0.30 AND 0.57, RESPECTIVELY). CHANGES IN SYSTOLIC BP (SBP)/DIASTOLIC BP (DBP) FOR THE PREHYPERTENSIVE (75TH-94TH PERCENTILES FOR SBP) SUBGROUP ANALYSES WERE -10.75/-8.25 MMHG FOR THE HYP GROUP (N=4) VERSUS 1.8/1.0 MMHG FOR THE AC GROUP (N=5) (P FOR SBP=0.02; P FOR DBP=0.09). ALTHOUGH NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED WITH CHANGES IN SNS OR HPA AWAKENING CURVES (AREA UNDER CURVE FOR ALPHA-AMYLASE AND CORTISOL, RESPECTIVELY), A SMALL TO MODERATE EFFECT SIZE WAS SEEN FAVORING A REDUCTION OF ALPHA-AMYLASE ACTIVATION FOR THE HYP GROUP (COHEN D=0.34; PREHYPERTENSIVE D=0.20). CONCLUSIONS: A SCHOOL-BASED HATHA YOGA PROGRAM DEMONSTRATED POTENTIAL TO DECREASE RESTING BP, PARTICULARLY AMONG PREHYPERTENSIVE YOUTH. REDUCED SNS DRIVE MAY BE AN UNDERLYING NEUROHORMONAL PATHWAY BENEFICIALLY AFFECTED BY THE PROGRAM. A LARGE-SCALE EFFICACY/EFFECTIVENESS RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL IS WARRANTED. 2014 12 922 22 EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES. TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE IN ADULTS WITH HYPERTENSION AND TO ASSESS THE MODIFYING INFLUENCES OF TYPE AND LENGTH OF YOGA INTERVENTION AND TYPE OF COMPARISON GROUP. METHODS. ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER, ALTHEALTHWATCH, BIOSIS/BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS, CINAHL, COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, PSYCARTICLES, NATURAL STANDARD, AND WEB OF SCIENCE DATABASES WERE SCREENED FOR CONTROLLED STUDIES FROM 1966 TO MARCH 2013. TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED RISK OF BIAS USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. RESULTS. ALL 17 STUDIES INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW HAD UNCLEAR OR HIGH RISK OF BIAS. YOGA HAD A MODEST BUT SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP) (-4.17 [-6.35, -1.99], P = 0.0002) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP) (-3.62 [-4.92, -1.60], P = 0.0001). SUBGROUP ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN BLOOD PRESSURE FOR (1) INTERVENTIONS INCORPORATING 3 BASIC ELEMENTS OF YOGA PRACTICE (POSTURES, MEDITATION, AND BREATHING) (SBP: -8.17 MMHG [-12.45, -3.89]; DBP: -6.14 MMHG [-9.39, -2.89]) BUT NOT FOR MORE LIMITED YOGA INTERVENTIONS; (2) YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT (SBP: -7.96 MMHG [-10.65, -5.27]) BUT NOT FOR EXERCISE. CONCLUSION. YOGA CAN BE PRELIMINARILY RECOMMENDED AS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE. ADDITIONAL RIGOROUS CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE WARRANTED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA. 2013 13 2745 25 YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES THE BODY MASS INDEX AND BLOOD PRESSURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA, AN ANCIENT INDIAN SYSTEM OF EXERCISE AND THERAPY IS AN ART OF GOOD LIVING OR AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BODY, MIND, AND INNER SPIRIT. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN HELP TO INCREASE BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN, REDUCE STRESS, HAVE A CALMING EFFECT ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND GREATLY HELP IN REDUCING HYPERTENSION. AIM: AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 1-MONTH YOGA PRACTICE ON BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), AND BLOOD PRESSURE (BP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON 64 PARTICIPANTS (AGE 53.6 +/- 13.1 YEARS) (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP) WHEREAS THE RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH 26 HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (CONTROL GROUP). WE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A 1-MONTH PILOT STUDY. MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LEARNER AND PRACTICED YOGA FOR 1 H DAILY IN THE MORNING FOR 1 MONTH. BMI AND BP (SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC) WERE STUDIED BEFORE AND AFTER 1 MONTH OF YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE CAUSES DECREASED BMI (26.4 +/- 2.5-25.22 +/- 2.4), SYSTOLIC BP (136.9 +/- 22.18 MMHG TO 133 +/- 21.38 MMHG), AND DIASTOLIC BP (84.7 +/- 6.5 MMHG TO 82.34 +/- 7.6 MMHG). ON THE OTHER HAND, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN BMI AND BP OF CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY CONCLUDES THAT YOGA PRACTICE HAS POTENTIAL TO CONTROL BMI AND BP WITHOUT TAKING ANY MEDICATION. 2017 14 2715 25 YOGA LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION REDUCES BLOOD PRESSURE IN HIV-INFECTED ADULTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS. OBJECTIVE: PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV INFECTION ARE AT INCREASED RISK FOR DEVELOPING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD). SAFE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR LOWERING CVD RISK IN HIV INFECTION ARE HIGH PRIORITIES. WE CONDUCTED A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED STUDY TO EVALUATE WHETHER A YOGA LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IMPROVES CVD RISK FACTORS, VIROLOGICAL OR IMMUNOLOGICAL STATUS, OR QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN HIV-INFECTED ADULTS RELATIVE TO STANDARD OF CARE TREATMENT IN A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: SIXTY HIV-INFECTED ADULTS WITH MILD-MODERATE CVD RISK WERE ASSIGNED TO 20 WEEKS OF SUPERVISED YOGA PRACTICE OR STANDARD OF CARE TREATMENT. BASELINE AND WEEK 20 MEASURES WERE: 2-H ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST WITH INSULIN MONITORING, BODY COMPOSITION, FASTING SERUM LIPID/LIPOPROTEIN PROFILE, RESTING BLOOD PRESSURES, CD4 T-CELL COUNT AND PLASMA HIV RNA, AND THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT FORM (SF)-36 HEALTH-RELATED QOL INVENTORY. RESULTS: RESTING SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES IMPROVED MORE (P=0.04) IN THE YOGA GROUP (-5 +/- 2 AND -3 +/- 1 MMHG, RESPECTIVELY) THAN IN THE STANDARD OF CARE GROUP (+1 +/- 2 AND+2 +/- 2 MMHG, RESPECTIVELY). HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO GREATER REDUCTION IN BODY WEIGHT, FAT MASS OR PROATHEROGENIC LIPIDS, OR IMPROVEMENTS IN GLUCOSE TOLERANCE OR OVERALL QOL AFTER YOGA. IMMUNE AND VIROLOGICAL STATUS WAS NOT ADVERSELY AFFECTED. CONCLUSION: AMONG TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS, YOGA IS A LOW-COST, SIMPLE TO ADMINISTER, NONPHARMACOLOGICAL, POPULAR BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTION THAT CAN LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE IN PRE-HYPERTENSIVE HIV-INFECTED ADULTS WITH MILD-MODERATE CVD RISK FACTORS. 2010 15 2153 18 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 16 966 30 EFFECTS OF A YOGA-BASED STRESS INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF YOUNG POLICE OFFICERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: DESPITE IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH EDUCATION AND TREATMENT, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION REMAINS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM OF INCREASING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF REGULAR YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES ON BLOOD PRESSURE, WORK-RELATED STRESS, AND THE PREVALENCE OF ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IN YOUNG POLICE ACADEMY TRAINEES WITH NO EXISTING COMORBIDITIES. DESIGN: A SINGLE-CENTER, PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SUBJECTS: THE STUDY INCLUDED 120 HEALTHY TRAINEES AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 39 YEARS WHO PRACTICED WEEKLY YOGA EXERCISES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BREATHING (PRANAYAMA) OVER AN OBSERVATION PERIOD OF 6 MONTHS. RESULTS: THESE REGULAR EXERCISES LOWERED THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF THE PARTICIPANTS BY 1.34 MMHG (RIGHT ARM, P = 0.007), INCREASED THEIR REGENERATIVE CAPACITY (RECOVERY EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE [REQ] SCALE +2.77, P < 0.001) AND RESILIENCE (RESILIENCE SCALE [RS] +4.6, P = 0.001), AND CONCOMITANTLY REDUCED THE LEVEL OF PERCEIVED STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE [PSS] -0.9, P < 0.001). IN CONTRAST, BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE CONTROL GROUP HAD SLIGHTLY INCREASED OVER THE STUDY PERIOD BY 0.1 MMHG (RIGHT ARM, P < 0.001) AND 1.0 MMHG (LEFT ARM, P = 0.03), AND SUBJECTIVE SCORES HAD SIGNIFICANTLY WORSENED (REQ SCALE -3.4, P < 0.001; RS -2.29, P = 0.001; PSS +0.88, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS POINT TO A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION BETWEEN BLOOD PRESSURE AND BOTH REGENERATIVE CAPACITY AND STRESS LEVEL. THUS, THE STUDY CONFIRMS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA EXERCISES REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS AND EXERT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON BLOOD PRESSURE. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00025921. 2022 17 2660 25 YOGA IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: YOGA SEEMS TO EXERT ITS EFFECT AGAINST ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION MAINLY THROUGH THE ASSOCIATED BREATHING AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES, AND LESS SO THROUGH YOGA POSTURES. THE GOAL OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO COMPARE THE BLOOD PRESSURE-LOWERING EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS WITH AND WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. METHODS: 75 PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION (72% WOMEN, MEAN AGE 58.7 +/- 9.5 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS: A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, OF WHOM 5 DROPPED OUT OF THE TRIAL BEFORE ITS END), A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES (25 PATIENTS, 3 DROPOUTS), AND A WAIT LIST CONTROL GROUP (25 PATIENTS, ONE DROPOUT). THE INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF 90 MINUTES OF YOGA PRACTICE PER WEEK FOR TWELVE WEEKS. THE DATA COLLECTORS, WHO WERE BLINDED TO THE INTERVENTION RECEIVED, ASSESSED THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES "SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" AND "DIASTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE" BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. IN THIS REPORT, WE ALSO PRESENT THE FINDINGS ON SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES, INCLUDING FOLLOW-UP DATA. RESULTS: AFTER THE INTERVENTION, THE SYSTOLIC 24-HOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP (GROUP DIFFERENCE [DELTA]= -3.8 MMHG; [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI): (-0.3; -7.4) P = 0.035]); IT WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP WITH YOGA POSTURES (DELTA = -3.2 MMHG; 95% CI: [-6.3; -0.8]; P = 0.045). DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS GROUPS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED IN THE COURSE OF THE TRIAL. CONCLUSION: IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FINDINGS OF EARLIER STUDIES, WE FOUND THAT ONLY YOGA WITHOUT YOGA POSTURES INDUCED A SHORT-TERM LOWERING OF AMBULATORY SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. YOGA IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS FOR ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND THUS CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL TREATMENT OPTION FOR PERSONS IN THIS CATEGORY. 2018 18 1033 22 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A META-ANALYSIS. AIMS/INTRODUCTION: A META-ANALYSIS WAS CARRIED OUT TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE PUBMED, EMBASE AND COCHRANE DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO OBTAIN ELIGIBLE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, AND THE SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN A1C, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL, TRIGLYCERIDE AND POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE. WEIGHTED MEAN DIFFERENCES AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED. THE I(2) STATISTIC REPRESENTED HETEROGENEITY. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 12 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A TOTAL OF 864 PATIENTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THE POOLED WEIGHTED MEAN DIFFERENCES WERE -23.72 MG/DL (95% CI -37.78 TO -9.65; P = 0.001; I(2) = 82%) FOR FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE AND -0.47% (95% CI -0.87 TO -0.07; P = 0.02; I(2) = 82%) FOR HEMOGLOBIN A1C. THE WEIGHTED MEAN DIFFERENCES WERE -17.38 MG/DL (95% CI -27.88 TO -6.89; P = 0.001; I(2) = 0%) FOR POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE, -18.50 MG/DL (95% CI -29.88 TO -7.11; P = 0.001; I(2) = 75%) FOR TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, 4.30 MG/DL (95% CI 3.25 TO 5.36; P < 0.00001; I(2) = 10%) FOR HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL, -12.95 MG/DL (95% CI -18.84 TO -7.06; P < 0.0001; I(2) = 37%) FOR LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL AND -12.57 MG/DL (95% CI -29.91 TO 4.76; P = 0.16; I(2) = 48%) FOR TRIGLYCERIDES. CONCLUSIONS: THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA BENEFITS ADULT PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. HOWEVER, CONSIDERING THE LIMITED METHODOLOGY AND THE POTENTIAL HETEROGENEITY, FURTHER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT OUR FINDINGS AND INVESTIGATE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS PATIENTS. 2017 19 692 22 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 20 221 26 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS WAS TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE AND THE STRENGTH OF RECOMMENDATION FOR YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC MEANS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PREHYPERTENSION AND HYPERTENSION. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH FEBRUARY 2014 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS (>/=8 WEEKS) COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE OR ANY ACTIVE CONTROL INTERVENTION ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH PREHYPERTENSION (120-139/80-89 MM HG) OR HYPERTENSION (>/=140/>/=90 MM HG). RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL; QUALITY OF EVIDENCE WAS ASSESSED ACCORDING TO THE GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 452 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE, VERY LOW-QUALITY EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYSTOLIC (6 RCTS, N = 278; MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) = -9.65 MM HG, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) = -17.23 TO -2.06, P = 0.01; HETEROGENEITY: I (2) = 90%, CHI(2) = 48.21, P < 0.01) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (6 RCTS, N = 278; MD = -7.22 MM HG, 95% CI = -12.83 TO -1.62, P = 0.01; HETEROGENEITY: I (2) = 92%, CHI(2) = 64.84, P < 0.01). SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED EFFECTS FOR RCTS THAT INCLUDED HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS BUT NOT FOR RCTS THAT INCLUDED BOTH HYPERTENSIVE AND PREHYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS, AS WELL AS FOR RCTS THAT ALLOWED ANTIHYPERTENSIVE COMEDICATION BUT NOT FOR THOSE THAT DID NOT. MORE ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED DURING YOGA THAN DURING USUAL CARE. COMPARED WITH EXERCISE, NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYSTOLIC OR DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. CONCLUSIONS: LARGER STUDIES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THE EMERGING BUT LOW-QUALITY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL ADJUNCT INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION. 2014