1  439 152 CARDIOVASCULAR, CELLULAR, AND NEURAL ADAPTATIONS TO HOT YOGA VERSUS NORMAL-TEMPERATURE YOGA. CONTEXT: CHRONIC HEAT EXPOSURE PROMOTES CARDIOVASCULAR AND CELLULAR ADAPTATIONS, IMPROVING AN ORGANISM'S ABILITY TO TOLERATE SUBSEQUENT STRESSORS. HEAT EXPOSURE MAY ALSO PROMOTE NEURAL ADAPTATIONS AND ALTER THE NEURAL-HORMONAL STRESS RESPONSE. HOT-TEMPERATURE YOGA (HY) COMBINES MIND-BODY EXERCISE WITH HEAT EXPOSURE. THE ADDED HEAT COMPONENT IN HY MAY INDUCE CARDIOVASCULAR AND CELLULAR CHANGES, ALONG WITH NEURAL BENEFITS AND MODULATION OF STRESS HORMONES. AIMS: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO COMPARE THE CARDIOVASCULAR, CELLULAR HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 70 (HSP70), NEURAL, AND HORMONAL ADAPTATIONS OF HY VERSUS NORMAL-TEMPERATURE YOGA (NY). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: TWENTY-TWO SUBJECTS (MALES = 11 AND FEMALES = 11, 26 +/- 6 YEARS) COMPLETED 4 WEEKS OF NY (N = 11) OR HY (N = 11, 41 DEGREES C, 40% HUMIDITY). YOGA SESSIONS WERE PERFORMED 3 TIMES/WEEK FOLLOWING A MODIFIED BIKRAM PROTOCOL. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: PRE- AND POSTTESTING INCLUDED (1) HEMODYNAMIC MEASURES DURING A HEAT TOLERANCE TEST AND MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS TEST; (2) NEURAL AND HORMONAL ADAPTATIONS USING SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH), ALONG WITH A MENTAL STRESS QUESTIONNAIRE; AND (3) CELLULAR ADAPTATIONS (HSP70) IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP STUDENT'S T-TEST ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO COMPARE PRE- AND POST-VO2 MAX, PERCEIVED STRESS, BDNF, HSP70, AND ACTH IN HY AND NY GROUPS. RESULTS: MAXIMAL AEROBIC FITNESS INCREASED IN THE HY GROUP ONLY. NO EVIDENCE OF HEAT ACCLIMATION OR CHANGE IN MENTAL STRESS WAS OBSERVED. SERUM BDNF SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN YOGA GROUPS COMBINED. ANALYSIS OF HSP70 SUGGESTED HIGHER EXPRESSION OF HSP70 IN THE HY GROUP ONLY. CONCLUSIONS: TWELVE SESSIONS OF HY PROMOTED CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS AND CELLULAR THERMOTOLERANCE ADAPTATIONS. SERUM BDNF INCREASED IN RESPONSE TO YOGA (NY + HY) AND APPEARED TO NOT BE TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
2  942  27 EFFECTS OF 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA TRAINING ON METABOLIC AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN HEALTHY, FEMALE CHINESE SUBJECTS: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. WE AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8 WK HATHA YOGA TRAINING ON BLOOD GLUCOSE, INSULIN, LIPID PROFILES, ENDOTHELIAL MICROPARTICLES (EMPS), AND INFLAMMATORY STATUS IN HEALTHY, LEAN, AND FEMALE CHINESE SUBJECTS. A TOTAL OF 30 HEALTHY, FEMALE CHINESE SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL OR YOGA PRACTICE GROUP. THE YOGA PRACTICE INCLUDED 8 WKS OF YOGA PRACTICE (2 TIMES/WK) FOR A TOTAL OF 16 TIMES. FASTING BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA TRAINING. PLASMA WAS ISOLATED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF LIPID PROFILES, GLUCOSE, INSULIN, EMPS, AND INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES. WHOLE BLOOD WAS CULTURED EX VIVO AND STIMULATED WITH LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE (LPS) AND PAM3CYS-SK4. PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS) WERE ISOLATED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF TLR2 AND TLR4 PROTEIN EXPRESSION. YOGA PRACTICE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED PLASMA CHOLESTEROL, LDL-CHOLESTEROL, INSULIN LEVELS, AND CD31+/CD42B- EMPS. CULTURED WHOLE BLOOD FROM THE YOGA GROUP HAS REDUCED PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES SECRETION BOTH AT UNSTIMULATED CONDITION AND WHEN STIMULATED WITH PAM3CYS-SK4; THIS MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED TLR2 PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN PBMCS AFTER YOGA TRAINING. HATHA YOGA PRACTICE IN HEALTHY CHINESE FEMALE SUBJECTS COULD IMPROVE HALLMARKS RELATED TO METS; THUS IT CAN BE CONSIDERED AS AN ANCILLARY INTERVENTION IN THE PRIMARY METS PREVENTION FOR THE HEALTHY POPULATION. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CHICTR-IOR-14005747.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
3 1873  25 RAPID GENE EXPRESSION CHANGES IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES UPON PRACTICE OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM. ONE OF THE MOST COMMON INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE (IM) MODALITIES IS YOGA AND RELATED PRACTICES. PREVIOUS WORK HAS SHOWN THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE WELLNESS IN HEALTHY PEOPLE AND HAVE BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS OF HOW YOGA MAY POSITIVELY AFFECT THE MIND-BODY SYSTEM ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. HERE WE HAVE ASSESSED POSSIBLE RAPID CHANGES IN GLOBAL GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS) IN HEALTHY PEOPLE THAT PRACTICED EITHER A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM OR A CONTROL REGIMEN. THE EXPERIMENTAL SESSIONS INCLUDED GENTLE YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, AND MEDITATION (SUDARSHAN KRIYA AND RELATED PRACTICES--SK&P) COMPARED WITH A CONTROL REGIMEN OF A NATURE WALK AND LISTENING TO RELAXING MUSIC. WE SHOW THAT THE SK&P PROGRAM HAS A RAPID AND SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER EFFECT ON GENE EXPRESSION IN PBMCS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL REGIMEN. THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND RELATED PRACTICES RESULT IN RAPID GENE EXPRESSION ALTERATIONS WHICH MAY BE THE BASIS FOR THEIR LONGER TERM CELL BIOLOGICAL AND HIGHER LEVEL HEALTH EFFECTS.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
4   35  41 A 12-WEEK YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MIGHT POSITIVELY MODIFY CELLULAR AGING IN INDIAN OBESE INDIVIDUALS: A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TELOMERES AND TELOMERASE ARE CONSIDERED CARDINAL BIOMARKERS OF CELLULAR AGING. SHORTER TELOMERES AND LOW TELOMERASE ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY AND ACCELERATED AGING. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YBLI) WITH THE STANDARD OF CARE (SOC) ON CELLULAR AGING BY ESTIMATING TELOMERE LENGTH (TL) AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY IN OBESITY. DESIGN AND SETTING: A PARALLEL, TWO-ARM, RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED AT THE INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC, DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY, ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEW DELHI, FROM MARCH 2017 TO OCTOBER 2019. PARTICIPANTS: OBESE (N = 72), BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), 25-35 KG/M(2), AGED 20-45 YEARS, MALE (21), AND FEMALE (51). INTERVENTION: SEVENTY-TWO OBESE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE EITHER A 12-WEEK SOC (N = 36) OR YBLI (N = 36). SOC INCLUDED MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY AS PER INDIAN GUIDELINES INCLUDING A HYPOCALORIC INDIVIDUALIZED DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE PRETESTED YBLI INCLUDED ASANA (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), AND MEDITATION. METHODS: BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM BOTH THE GROUPS AT BASELINE, 2, 4, AND 12 WEEKS. DNA WAS EXTRACTED FROM PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS. TL WAS MEASURED BY QUANTITATIVE PCR, AND SERUM TELOMERASE LEVELS BY IMMUNOASSAY. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE THE CHANGES IN THE TL AND TELOMERASE LEVELS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT WEEK 12. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE THE CHANGES IN TL AND TELOMERASE, AND ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS (BODY WEIGHT, BMI, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO) AT 2, 4, AND 12 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION IN BOTH SOC AND YBLI GROUPS. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN TL AND TELOMERASE LEVELS BETWEEN THE GROUPS AT WEEK 12. THE TL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IN THE YBLI GROUP VERSUS THE SOC GROUP (P < 0.0001) AT 2 WEEKS. THE ANTHROPOMETRIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS WERE INFLUENCED POSITIVELY BY BOTH SOC AND YBLI. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY DID NOT MEET THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE, ALTHOUGH THE RESULTS ARE SUGGESTIVE OF A POSITIVE IMPACT OF YBLI ON AGING IN OBESITY AS NOTED WITHIN THE YBLI GROUP. HOWEVER, THE RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED CAREFULLY, AND IN THE LIGHT OF OTHER PUBLISHED DATA. LARGER STUDIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE POSSIBLE POSITIVE BENEFITS OF YBLI ON CELLULAR AGING ARE RECOMMENDED. CLINICAL TRAIL REGISTRATION NO. CTRI/2016/08/007136.	2022	
                                                                                     
5 1392  23 IMPACT OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ON CELLULAR AGING IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS: A PROSPECTIVE, OPEN-LABEL SINGLE-ARM EXPLORATORY STUDY. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF YOGA AND MEDITATION BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YMLI) ON CELLULAR AGING IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. DURING THIS 12-WEEK PROSPECTIVE, OPEN-LABEL, SINGLE ARM EXPLORATORY STUDY, 96 APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WERE ENROLLED TO RECEIVE YMLI. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINTS WERE ASSESSMENT OF THE CHANGE IN LEVELS OF CARDINAL BIOMARKERS OF CELLULAR AGING IN BLOOD FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 12, WHICH INCLUDED DNA DAMAGE MARKER 8-HYDROXY-2'-DEOXYGUANOSINE (8-OH2DG), OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS), AND TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY (TAC), AND TELOMERE ATTRITION MARKERS TELOMERE LENGTH AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY. THE SECONDARY ENDPOINTS WERE ASSESSMENT OF METABOTROPHIC BLOOD BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH CELLULAR AGING, WHICH INCLUDED CORTISOL, BETA-ENDORPHIN, IL-6, BDNF, AND SIRTUIN-1. AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YMLI, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH THE CARDINAL BIOMARKERS OF CELLULAR AGING AND THE METABOTROPHIC BIOMARKERS INFLUENCING CELLULAR AGING COMPARED TO BASELINE VALUES. THE MEAN LEVELS OF 8-OH2DG, ROS, CORTISOL, AND IL-6 WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AND MEAN LEVELS OF TAC, TELOMERASE ACTIVITY, BETA-ENDORPHIN, BDNF, AND SIRTUIN-1 WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (ALL VALUES P < 0.05) POST-YMLI. THE MEAN LEVEL OF TELOMERE LENGTH WAS INCREASED BUT THE FINDING WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.069). YMLI SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE RATE OF CELLULAR AGING IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY POPULATION.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
6  508  29 COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF A 12 WEEK YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION AND DIETARY INTERVENTION ON ADIPOKINES, INFLAMMATION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) EVALUATED THE COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF 12 WEEK YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YBLI) AND DIETARY INTERVENTION (DI) ALONE ON ADIPOKINES, INFLAMMATION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN INDIAN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (MET S). A PARALLEL, TWO ARM, RCT WAS CONDUCTED IN INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC (IHC), ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, INDIA FROM 2012 TO 2014. IHC IS AN OUTPATIENT FACILITY CONDUCTING YBLI PROGRAMS FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. TWO HUNDRED SIXTY MEN AND WOMEN (20-45 YEARS) VISITING THE OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL WERE DIAGNOSED WITH MET S AND RANDOMIZED 1:1 TO RECEIVE 12 WEEK YBLI (N = 130) OR DI (N = 130). PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGE IN PLASMA LEVELS OF ADIPOKINES (LEPTIN, ADIPONECTIN, AND LEPTIN:ADIPONECTIN RATIO), MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION (TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR [TNF]-ALPHA, INTERLEUKIN [IL]-6), MARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS (THIOBARBITURIC ACID REACTIVE SUBSTANCES [TBARS], 8-HYDROXY-2'-DEOXYGUANOSINE [8-OHDG], AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE [SOD]) MEASURED AT BASELINE, 2 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS. YBLI GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN LEPTIN, LEPTIN:ADIPONECTIN RATIO, IL-6, 8-OHDG, AND TBARS LEVELS, WHEREAS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ADIPONECTIN AND SOD LEVELS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTICED IN DI ALONE GROUP. YBLI SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN TBARS LEVELS THAN IN DI GROUP, SUGGESTIVE OF REDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ADULTS WITH MET S. A 12 WEEK YBLI HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON OXIDATIVE STRESS VERSUS DI ALONE IN ADULTS WITH MET S.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
7  324  22 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
8 2120  26 THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON ENHANCEMENT OF ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH) AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. THE EFFECT OF 8 WEEKS YOGA TRAINING ON CORTISOL AND ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH) LEVELS IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS EXAMINED. TWENTY FOUR MS FEMALE PATIENTS WITH EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCALE (EDSS) 1 TO 5.5 PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY AS THE SUBJECT. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO CONTROL (N = 10) OR TRAINING GROUP (N = 14) RANDOMLY. TRAINING GROUP PERFORMED 90 MIN YOGA TRAINING PER SESSION, 3 DAYS A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE BODY COMPOSITION MEASUREMENT AND BLOOD SAMPLING 48 H BEFORE FIRST SESSION AND 48 H AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATED THAT ACTH INCREASED AND CORTISOL DECREASED COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05); IN CONCLUSION, IT SEEMS THAT YOGA TRAINING MODULATES ACTH LEVEL IN CONCOMITANT WITH REDUCTION IN CORTISOL LEVEL IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH MS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
9 1030  30 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
10 2816  30 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
11 1374  36 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
12  451  29 CHANGES IN FATIGUE, AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS, AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS DUE TO SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: IN A PREVIOUS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WE FOUND THAT SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IMPROVES FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) WHO ARE RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS BEHIND THIS FINDING, FOCUSING ON THE SHORT-TERM FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT, BY COMPARING AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS BEFORE AND AFTER A SESSION OF ISOMETRIC YOGA. METHODS: FIFTEEN PATIENTS WITH CFS WHO REMAINED SYMPTOMATIC DESPITE AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY PRACTICED SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA (BIWEEKLY 20 MIN PRACTICE WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND DAILY HOME PRACTICE) FOR EIGHT WEEKS. ACUTE EFFECTS OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE, AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS WERE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE FINAL SESSION WITH AN INSTRUCTOR. THE EFFECT OF A SINGLE SESSION OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WAS ASSESSED BY THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATUS (POMS) QUESTIONNAIRE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE SESSION. AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION (HEART RATE (HR) VARIABILITY) AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS (CORTISOL, DHEA-S, TNF-ALPHA, IL-6, IFN-GAMMA, IFN-ALPHA, PROLACTIN, CARNITINE, TGF-BETA1, BDNF, MHPG, AND HVA) WERE COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER THE SESSION. RESULTS: SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE POMS FATIGUE SCORE (P < 0.01) AND INCREASED THE VIGOR SCORE (P < 0.01). IT ALSO REDUCED HR (P < 0.05) AND INCREASED THE HIGH FREQUENCY POWER (P < 0.05) OF HR VARIABILITY. SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA INCREASED SERUM LEVELS OF DHEA-S (P < 0.05), REDUCED LEVELS OF CORTISOL (P < 0.05) AND TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.05), AND HAD A TENDENCY TO REDUCE SERUM LEVELS OF PROLACTIN (P < 0.1). DECREASES IN FATIGUE SCORES CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN PLASMA LEVELS OF TGF-BETA1 AND BDNF. IN CONTRAST, INCREASED VIGOR POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH HVA. CONCLUSIONS: A SINGLE SESSION OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA REDUCED FATIGUE AND INCREASED VIGOR IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. YOGA ALSO INCREASED VAGAL NERVE FUNCTION AND CHANGED BLOOD BIOMARKERS IN A PATTERN THAT SUGGESTED ANTI-STRESS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. THESE CHANGES APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE SHORT-TERM FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. FURTHERMORE, DOPAMINERGIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVATION MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA-INDUCED INCREASES IN ENERGY IN THIS PATIENT POPULATION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000009646. REGISTERED DEC 27, 2012.	2018	

13  679  29 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
14 2038  28 TELOMERASE ACTIVITY AND CELLULAR AGING MIGHT BE POSITIVELY MODIFIED BY A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVES: RECENT STUDIES SHOWED THAT A BRIEF YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION WAS EFFICACIOUS IN REDUCING LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND CELLULAR AGING IN OBESE MEN. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS CASE REPORT WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF THIS INTERVENTION IN REDUCING THE LEVELS OF BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF CELLULAR AGEING, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND INFLAMMATION AT BASELINE (DAY 0), AT THE END OF ACTIVE INTERVENTION (DAY 10), AND FOLLOW-UP AT DAY 90. DESIGN: SINGLE CASE REPORT FROM A PROSPECTIVE ONGOING STUDY WITH PRE-POST DESIGN ASSESSING THE LEVEL OF VARIOUS MARKERS OF CELLULAR AGING. SETTING: INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC, AN OUTPATIENT FACILITY CONDUCTING MEDITATION AND YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS FOR MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. PATIENT: A 31-YEAR-OLD MAN WITH CLASS I OBESITY (BODY-MASS INDEX, 29.5 KG/M(2)) WHO PRESENTED TO THE MEDICINE OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT AT ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEW DELHI, INDIA, WITH A HISTORY OF FATIGUE, DIFFICULTY LOSING WEIGHT, AND LACK OF MOTIVATION. HE NOTED A MARKED DECREASE IN HIS ENERGY LEVEL, PARTICULARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. INTERVENTION: A PRETESTED INTERVENTION PROGRAM INCLUDED ASANAS (POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), STRESS MANAGEMENT, GROUP DISCUSSIONS, LECTURES, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE. RESULTS: FROM BASELINE (DAY 0) TO DAY 90, THE ACTIVITY OF TELOMERASE AND LEVELS OF BETA-ENDORPHINS, PLASMA CORTISOL, AND INTERLEUKIN-6 INCREASED, AND A SUSTAINED REDUCTION IN OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS, SUCH AS REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND 8-HYDROXY-2-DEOXY-GUANOSINE LEVELS. CONCLUSIONS: ADOPTING YOGA/MEDITATION-BASED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION CAUSES REVERSAL OF MARKERS OF AGING, MAINLY OXIDATIVE STRESS, TELOMERASE ACTIVITY, AND OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE. THIS MAY NOT ONLY DELAY AGING AND PROLONG A YOUTHFUL HEALTHY LIFE BUT ALSO DELAY OR PREVENT ONSET OF SEVERAL LIFESTYLE-RELATED DISEASES, OF WHICH OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION ARE THE CHIEF CAUSE. THIS REPORT SUGGESTS THIS SIMPLE LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION MAY BE THERAPEUTIC FOR OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND OXIDATIVE STRESS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
15 1045  36 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS PRACTISED IN HEATED AND THERMONEUTRAL CONDITIONS ON ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION: THE BIKRAM YOGA HEART STUDY. NEW FINDINGS: WHAT IS THE CENTRAL QUESTION OF THIS STUDY? DOES THE HEATED PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT ENHANCE THE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA ON ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS? WHAT IS THE MAIN FINDING AND ITS IMPORTANCE? THE PRIMARY FINDING FROM THIS INVESTIGATION IS THAT THE HATHA YOGA POSTURES IN THE BIKRAM YOGA SERIES PRODUCE SIMILAR ENHANCEMENTS IN ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS REGARDLESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE. THESE FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE EFFICACY OF YOGA POSTURES IN PRODUCING IMPROVEMENTS IN VASCULAR HEALTH AND DOWNPLAY THE NECESSITY OF THE HEATED PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT IN INDUCING VASCULAR ADAPTATIONS. ABSTRACT: WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY DOCUMENTED IMPROVEMENTS IN ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION WITH A BIKRAM (HOT) YOGA INTERVENTION IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. AT PRESENT, THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE IN HOT YOGA ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IS UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTIONS PERFORMED IN HEATED OR THERMONEUTRAL CONDITIONS ON ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION. FIFTY-TWO SEDENTARY BUT APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS AGED 40-60 YEARS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: BIKRAM YOGA PRACTISED AT 40.5 DEGREES C (N = 19), BIKRAM YOGA PRACTISED AT 23 DEGREES C (N = 14) OR SEDENTARY TIME CONTROL (N = 19). THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF 90 MIN BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION WAS MEASURED NON-INVASIVELY USING BRACHIAL ARTERY FLOW-MEDIATED DILATATION (FMD). BODY FAT PERCENTAGE DETERMINED VIA DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE HOT YOGA GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION THAN IN THE THERMONEUTRAL YOGA AND CONTROL CONDITIONS. BRACHIAL ARTERY FMD INCREASED (P < 0.05) IN THE THERMONEUTRAL YOGA GROUP AND TENDED TO INCREASE IN THE HOT YOGA GROUP (P = 0.056). NO CHANGES OCCURRED IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN FMD CHANGE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS. WE CONCLUDE THAT BIKRAM YOGA PRACTISED IN THERMONEUTRAL CONDITIONS IMPROVED ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATATION IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. THESE NEW FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HATHA YOGA POSTURES ALONE, IN THE ABSENCE OF A HEATED PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT, IN IMPROVING VASCULAR HEALTH AND ARE OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE GIVEN THE INCREASED PROPENSITY FOR HEAT INTOLERANCE IN AGEING ADULTS.	2018	
                            
16  859  33 EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AFTER MODERATE AND STRENUOUS EXERCISE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE AND EXERCISE CHALLENGE ON TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) LEVELS AND LIPID PROFILE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. ONE HUNDRED AND NINE VOLUNTEERS (51 MALES AND 58 FEMALES) IN THE AGE GROUP OF 20 TO 60 YEARS, WHO PRACTICED YOGA REGULARLY FOR OVER FIVE YEARS FOR A PERIOD OF ONE HOUR DAILY, PERFORMED A BOUT OF MODERATE EXERCISE AND A BOUT OF STRENUOUS EXERCISE AS PER STANDARDIZED SHUTTLE WALK TEST PROTOCOL. ANTHROPOMETRICALLY MATCHED, AGE MATCHED AND GENDER MATCHED SUBJECTS, WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA (NON-YOGA GROUP) WERE CHOSEN AS CONTROLS (NON-YOGA, N=109). THE NON-YOGA GROUP ALSO PERFORMED SIMILAR EXERCISES. THE BLOOD SAMPLES OF BOTH THE GROUPS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISES. TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 WAS ANALYSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISE BY SANDWICH ELISA (ENZYME LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY). RESULTS: RESTING PLASMA TNF-ALPHA CONCENTRATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN NON-YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO YOGA GROUP (P<0.05). THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN TNF-ALPHA LEVELS IN BOTH THE GROUPS IN RESPONSE TO STRENUOUS EXERCISE. THERE WAS NO GENDER DIFFERENCE IN TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER EXERCISE IN YOGA AND NON-YOGA GROUPS. CONCLUSION: REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA LOWERS BASAL TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 LEVELS. IT ALSO REDUCES THE EXTENT OF INCREASE OF TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 TO A PHYSICAL CHALLENGE OF MODERATE EXERCISE AND STRENUOUS EXERCISE. THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT GENDER DIFFERENCE IN THE TNF-ALPHA AND IL-6 LEVELS. REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA CAN PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL AGAINST INFLAMMATORY DISEASES BY FAVOURABLY ALTERING PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE LEVELS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
17 2847  31 YOGA, MEDITATION AND MIND-BODY HEALTH: INCREASED BDNF, CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE, AND ALTERED INFLAMMATORY MARKER EXPRESSION AFTER A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT. THIRTY-EIGHT INDIVIDUALS (MEAN AGE: 34.8 YEARS OLD) PARTICIPATING IN A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOMETRIC MEASURES, BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF), CIRCADIAN SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS, AND PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES. PARTICIPATION IN THE RETREAT WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS WELL AS INCREASES IN MINDFULNESS. AS HYPOTHESIZED, INCREASES IN THE PLASMA LEVELS OF BDNF AND INCREASES IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE (CAR) WERE ALSO OBSERVED. THE NORMALIZED CHANGE IN BDNF LEVELS WAS INVERSELY CORRELATED WITH BSI-18 ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH THE PRE-RETREAT (R = 0.40, P < 0.05) AND POST-RETREAT (R = 0.52, P < 0.005) SUCH THAT THOSE WITH GREATER ANXIETY SCORES TENDED TO EXHIBIT SMALLER PRE- TO POST-RETREAT INCREASES IN PLASMA BDNF LEVELS. IN LINE WITH A HYPOTHESIZED DECREASE IN INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES RESULTING FROM THE YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICES, WE FOUND THAT THE PLASMA LEVEL OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-10 WAS INCREASED AND THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-12 WAS REDUCED AFTER THE RETREAT. CONTRARY TO OUR INITIAL HYPOTHESES, PLASMA LEVELS OF OTHER PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, INCLUDING INTERFERON GAMMA (IFN-GAMMA), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF-ALPHA), INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA), INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), AND INTERLEUKIN-8 (IL-8) WERE INCREASED AFTER THE RETREAT. GIVEN EVIDENCE FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES OF THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MEDITATIVE PRACTICES ON MENTAL FITNESS, AUTONOMIC HOMEOSTASIS AND INFLAMMATORY STATUS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THESE FINDINGS ARE RELATED TO THE MEDITATIVE PRACTICES THROUGHOUT THE RETREAT; HOWEVER, SOME OF THE OBSERVED CHANGES MAY ALSO BE RELATED TO OTHER ASPECTS OF THE RETREAT SUCH AS PHYSICAL EXERCISE-RELATED COMPONENTS OF THE YOGA PRACTICE AND DIET. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE PATTERNS OF CHANGE OBSERVED HERE REFLECT MIND-BODY INTEGRATION AND WELL-BEING. THE INCREASED BDNF LEVELS OBSERVED IS A POTENTIAL MEDIATOR BETWEEN MEDITATIVE PRACTICES AND BRAIN HEALTH, THE INCREASED CAR IS LIKELY A REFLECTION OF INCREASED DYNAMIC PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DUAL ENHANCEMENT OF PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE CHANGES TO HEALTHY IMMUNOLOGIC FUNCTIONING IS DISCUSSED.	2017	
                                                                                                                             
18 1967  33 SERUM CORTISOL AND BDNF IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION-EFFECT OF YOGA. DEPRESSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW SERUM BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND ELEVATED LEVELS OF SERUM CORTISOL. YOGA PRACTICES HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS, INCREASE IN SERUM BDNF, AND REDUCTION IN SERUM CORTISOL. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SERUM BDNF AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN DRUG-NAIVE PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION TREATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS, YOGA THERAPY, AND BOTH. FIFTY-FOUR DRUG-NAIVE CONSENTING ADULT OUTPATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION (32 MALES) RECEIVED ANTIDEPRESSANTS ONLY (N = 16), YOGA THERAPY ONLY (N = 19), OR YOGA WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS (N = 19). SERUM BDNF ANDCORTISOL LEVELS WERE OBTAINED BEFORE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS USING A SANDWICH ELISA METHOD. ONE-WAY ANOVA, CHI-SQUARE TEST, AND PEARSON'S CORRELATION TESTS WERE USED FOR ANALYSIS. THE GROUPS WERE COMPARABLE AT BASELINE ON MOST PARAMETERS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION SCORES AND SERUM BDNF LEVELS, AND REDUCTION IN SERUM CORTISOL IN THE YOGA GROUPS, HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED IN PREVIOUS REPORTS. A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATION WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN CHANGE IN BDNF (PRE-POST) AND CORTISOL (PRE-POST) LEVELS IN THE YOGA-ONLY GROUP (R = -0.59, P = 0.008). IN CONCLUSION, YOGA MAY FACILITATE NEUROPLASTICITY THROUGH STRESS REDUCTION IN DEPRESSED PATIENTS. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THE FINDINGS AND DELINEATE THE PATHWAYS FOR THESE EFFECTS.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
19 2075  38 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
20 1427  30 IMPROVEMENTS IN GLUCOSE TOLERANCE WITH BIKRAM YOGA IN OLDER OBESE ADULTS: A PILOT STUDY. BIKRAM YOGA IS AN EXOTIC FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMBINING HATHA YOGA AND THERMAL THERAPY THAT COULD POSITIVELY IMPACT METABOLIC HEALTH. ALTHOUGH THIS INCREASINGLY POPULAR ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE MAY BE IDEAL FOR OBESE ADULTS DUE TO ITS LOW IMPACT NATURE, FEW STUDIES HAVE ELUCIDATED THE HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. AS AN INITIAL STEP, WE DETERMINED THE EFFECT OF BIKRAM YOGA ON GLUCOSE TOLERANCE. FOURTEEN YOUNG LEAN AND 15 OLDER OBESE SUBJECTS COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IN WHICH CLASSES WERE COMPLETED 3 TIMES PER WEEK. GLUCOSE TOLERANCE WAS ASSESSED USING A 75 G ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST. THE AREA UNDER THE GLUCOSE CURVE FOLLOWING THE ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AS A RESULT OF THE BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IN OLDER OBESE (P < 0.05) BUT NOT IN YOUNG LEAN SUBJECTS. WE CONCLUDED THAT A SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE IN OLDER OBESE, BUT NOT IN YOUNG LEAN ADULTS.	2013