1 1589 146 MEDITATION & YOGA: IMPACT ON OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE & DYSREGULATED SPERM TRANSCRIPTS IN MALE PARTNERS OF COUPLES WITH RECURRENT PREGNANCY LOSS. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: RECURRENT PREGNANCY LOSS (RPL) IS ONE OF THE DEVASTATING COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND CURRENT FOCUS LIES IN ADDRESSING THE MANAGEMENT OF PATERNAL FACTORS. DYSREGULATION IN SELECTIVE TRANSCRIPTS DELIVERED TO OOCYTE AT FERTILIZATION CAN RESULT IN PREGNANCY LOSSES AND ADVERSELY AFFECT EMBRYOGENESIS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YBLI) ON SEMINAL OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS), DNA DAMAGE AND SPERMATOZOAL TRANSCRIPT LEVELS. METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS A PART OF A PROSPECTIVE ONGOING EXPLORATORY STUDY AND 30 MALE PARTNERS OF COUPLES WITH RPL WERE INCLUDED FROM AUGUST 2016 TO JUNE 2017. SEMEN SAMPLES WERE OBTAINED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF YBLI (21 DAYS). GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BY QUANTITATIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION ON SPERMATOZOAL FOXG1, SOX3, OGG1, PARP1, RPS6, RBM9, RPS17 AND RPL29. THE LEVELS OF SEMINAL OS AND SPERM DNA DAMAGE WAS ASSESSED BY MEASURING LEVELS OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) BY CHEMILUMINESCENCE AND DNA FRAGMENTATION INDEX (DFI) BY SPERM CHROMATIN STRUCTURE ASSAY. RESULTS: SOX3, OGG1 AND PARP1 WERE OBSERVED TO BE UPREGULATED, WHILE FOXG1, RPS6, RBM9, RPS17 AND RPL29 SHOWED DOWNREGULATION. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ROS LEVELS, AN INCREASE IN SPERM MOTILITY, SPERM COUNT (DONE TWICE) AND A DECREASE IN DFI WAS SEEN AFTER YBLI. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: ADOPTING YBLI MAY HELP IN A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND NORMALIZATION OF SPERM TRANSCRIPT LEVELS. THIS MAY NOT ONLY IMPROVE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES BUT ALSO IMPROVE THE HEALTH TRAJECTORY OF THE OFFSPRING. 2018 2 1690 60 OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCED DAMAGE TO PATERNAL GENOME AND IMPACT OF MEDITATION AND YOGA - CAN IT REDUCE INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCER? BACKGROUND: SPERM DNA DAMAGE IS UNDERLYING AETIOLOGY OF POOR IMPLANTATION AND PREGNANCY RATES BUT ALSO AFFECTS HEALTH OF OFFSPRING AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN DENOVO MUTATIONS IN GERM LINE AND POST FERTILIZATION. THIS MAY RESULT IN COMPLEX DISEASES, POLYGENIC DISORDERS AND CHILDHOOD CANCERS. CHILDHOOD CANCER LIKE RETINOBLASTOMA (RB) IS MORE PREVALENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE INCIDENCE OF RB HAS INCREASED MORE THAN THREE FOLD IN INDIA IN THE LAST DECADE. RECENT STUDIES HAVE DOCUMENTED INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CANCERS IN CHILDREN BORN TO FATHERS WHO CONSUME ALCOHOL IN EXCESS AND TOBACCO OR WHO WERE CONCEIVED BY ASSISTED CONCEPTION. THE AETIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD CANCER AND INCREASED DISEASE BURDEN IN THESE CHILDREN IS LIN KED TO OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS) AND OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE( ODD) IN SPERM OF THEIR FATHERS. THOUGH SEVERAL ANTIOXIDANTS ARE IN USE TO COMBAT OXIDATIVE STRESS, THE EFFECT OF MAJORITY OF THESE FORMULATIONS ON DNA IS NOT KNOWN. YOGA AND MEDITATION CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN OS AND ODD AND AID IN REGULATING OS LEVELS SUCH THAT REACTIVE OXYGEN SPEUES MEDITATED SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION, GENE EXPRESSION AND SEVERAL OTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS ARE NOT DISRUPTED. THUS, THIS STUDY AIMED TO ANALYZE SPERM ODD AS A POSSIBLE ETIOLOGICAL FACTOR IN CHILDHOOD CANCER AND ROLE OF SIMPLE LIFE STYLE INTERVENTIONS LIKE YOGA AND MEDITATION IN SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASING SEMINAL OXIDATIVE STRESS AND OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND THEREBY DECREASING INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 131 FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH RB (NON-FAMILIAL SPORADIC HERITABLE) AND 50 CONTROLS (FATHERS OF HEALTHY CHILDREN) WERE RECRUITED AT A TERTIARY CENTER IN INDIA. SPERM PARAMETERS AS PER WHO 2010 GUIDELINES AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS), DNA FRAGMENTATION INDEX (DFI), 8-HYDROXY-2'-DEOXY GUANOSINE (8-OHDG) AND TELOMERE LENGTH WERE ESTIMATED AT DAY 0, AND AFTER 3 AND 6 MONTHS OF INTERVENTION. WE ALSO EXAMINED THE COMPLIANCE WITH YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE AND SMOKING STATUS AT EACH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: THE SEMINAL MEAN ROS LEVELS (P<0.05), SPERM DFI (P<0.001), 8-OHDG (P<0.01) LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH RB, AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS AND THE RELATIVE MEAN TELOMERE LENGTH IN THE SPERM WAS SHORTER. LEVELS OF ROS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN TOBACCO USERS (P<0.05) AS WELL AS IN ALCOHOLICS (P<0.05) AFTER INTERVENTION. DFI REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.05) AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE IN ALL GROUPS. THE LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE MARKER 8-OHDG WERE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER 3 MONTHS (P<0.05) AND 6 MONTHS (P<0.05) OF PRACTICE. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT OS AND ODD DNA MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD CANCER. THIS MAY BE DUE TO ACCUMULATION OF OXIDIZED MUTAGENIC BASE 8OHDG , AND ELEVATED MDA LEVELS WHICH RESULTS IN MDA DIMERS WHICH ARE ALSO MUTAGENIC, ABERRANT METHYLATION PATTERN, ALTERED GENE EXPRESSION WHICH AFFECT CELL PROLIFERATION AND SURVIVAL THROUGH ACTIVATION OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS. INCREASED MT DNA MUTATIONS AND ABERRANT REPAIR OF MT AND NUCLEAR DNA DUE TO HIGHLY TRUNCATRED DNA REPAIR MECHANISMS ALL CONTRIBUTE TO SPERM GENOME HYPERMUTABILITY AND PERSISTANT OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE. OXIDATIVE STRESS IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH GENOME WIDE HYPOMETHYLATION, TELOMERE SHORTENING AND MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION LEADING TO GENOME HYPERMUTABILITY AND INSTABILITY. TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO REPORT DECLINE IN OS AND ODD AND IMPROVEMENT IN SPERM DNA INTEGRITY FOLLOWING ADOPTION OF MEDITATION AND YOGA BASED LIFE STYLE MODIFICATION.THIS MAY REDUCE DISEASE BURDEN IN NEXT GENERATION AND REDUCE INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCERS. 2016 3 812 28 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN NON-DIABETIC OFFSPRING OF TYPE-2-DIABETES PARENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PROGRAM ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN NON-DIABETIC OFFSPRING OF DIABETES PARENTS. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED PASSIVE-CONTROLLED STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 64 NON-DIABETIC OFFSPRING OF TYPE-2-DIABETES PARENTS (MEAN-AGE:25.17YEARS). YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED YOGA TRAINING FOR 8 WEEKS. HEART-RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) INDICES: LOW FREQUENCY (LF), HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) AND LF/HF RATIO; FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE (FBG), ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST (OGTT) AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) WERE ESTIMATED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 8-WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: WE FOUND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN LF (P=0.005), LF/HF RATIO (P=0.004), IR (P<0.001), OGTT (P=0.003) AND INCREASE IN HF (P=0.022) IN YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS. CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN ANY VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: IMPROVEMENT IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE BY YOGA TRAINING IMPLIES THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF DEVELOPMENT OF DIABETES IN OFFSPRING OF DIABETES PARENTS. 2019 4 2652 37 YOGA IMPROVES MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH AND REDUCES SEVERITY OF AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS) AND MITOCHONDRIAL ALTERATIONS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS LIKE AIR POLLUTANTS, SMOKING, UNHEALTHY SOCIAL HABITS AND SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE INDUCE OS, WHICH MAY COMPROMISE MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY. THIS TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF 8-WEEKS YOGA PRACTICE ON MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH AND DISEASE SEVERITY IN AN ACTIVE RA GROUP COMPARED WITH A USUAL-CARE CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 70 SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA GROUP AND NON-YOGA GROUP. MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH WAS ASSESSED BY CALCULATION OF MITOCHONDRIAL DNA COPY NUMBER (MTDNA-CN), OS MARKERS, MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITY, MITOCHONDRIAL MEMBRANE POTENTIAL (DELTAPSIM), CIRCADIAN RHYTHM MARKERS AND TRANSCRIPTS ASSOCIATED WITH MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY: AMPK, TIMP-1, KLOTHO, SIRT-1, AND TFAM. PARAMETERS OF DISEASE ACTIVITY AND DISABILITY QUOTIENT WERE ALSO ASSESSED BY DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE - ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (DAS28-ESR) AND HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE-DISABILITY INDEX (HAQ-DI), RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: IN YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT UPREGULATION OF MTDNA-CN, MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITY MARKERS, DELTAPSIM, AND TRANSCRIPTS THAT MAINTAIN MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY AFTER 8-WEEKS OF YOGA. THERE WAS OPTIMIZATION OF OS MARKERS, AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM MARKERS POST 8-WEEKS PRACTICE OF YOGA. YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN DAS28-ESR (P < 0.05) AND HAQ-DI (P < 0.05) OVER THE NON-YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: ADOPTION OF YOGA BY RA PATIENTS HOLDS THE KEY TO ENHANCE MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH, IMPROVE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM MARKERS, OS MARKER REGULATION, UPREGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTS THAT MAINTAIN MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY, REDUCE DISEASE ACTIVITY AND ITS ASSOCIATED CONSEQUENCES ON HEALTH OUTCOME AND HENCE CAN BE BENEFICIAL AS AN ADJUNCT THERAPY. 2021 5 364 26 ASSOCIATIONS OF MATERNAL LIGHT/MODERATE LEISURE-TIME WALKING AND YOGA WITH OFFSPRING BIRTH SIZE. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH PERINATAL WALKING AND YOGA HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED RISKS OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS WITH OFFSPRING BIRTH SIZE HAVE BEEN INCONSISTENT. WE INVESTIGATED ASSOCIATIONS OF PREPREGNANCY AND EARLY PREGNANCY LEISURE-TIME LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING AND YOGA PRACTICE WITH BIRTH SIZE. METHODS: STUDY PARTICIPANTS (N = 3687) REPORTED LEISURE-TIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURATION (HOURS PER WEEK) IN THE YEAR BEFORE PREGNANCY AND EARLY PREGNANCY. BIRTH SIZE WAS ABSTRACTED FROM MEDICAL RECORDS. REGRESSION WAS USED TO DETERMINE MEAN DIFFERENCES IN BIRTH WEIGHT, HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE, AND PONDERAL INDEX. INTERACTION TERMS WERE USED TO ASSESS EFFECT MODIFICATION BY OFFSPRING SEX. RESULTS: ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF WOMEN REPORTED LIGHT/MODERATE LEISURE-TIME WALKING AND ABOUT 10% REPORTED YOGA PRACTICE. WOMEN IN THE HIGHEST TERTILE FOR PREPREGNANCY (MEAN: 2.9 H/WK; RANGE: 1.4-20 H/WK) OR EARLY PREGNANCY (MEAN: 5.9 H/WK; RANGE: 3.1-24 H/WK) LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING HAD OFFSPRING WITH 0.9 AND 1.5 KG/M(3) GREATER PONDERAL INDEX (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 0.3 TO 1.4 AND 0.7 TO 2.4, RESPECTIVELY) COMPARED WITH WOMEN WHO REPORTED NO LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD. LIGHT/MODERATE WALKING WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BIRTH WEIGHT OR HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE. YOGA PRACTICE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BIRTH SIZE. ASSOCIATIONS WERE SIMILAR BY OFFSPRING SEX. CONCLUSION: LIGHT/MODERATE LEISURE-TIME WALKING MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER OFFSPRING PONDERAL INDEX. 2018 6 1392 35 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 7 1917 42 ROLE OF YOGA AND ITS PLAUSIBLE MECHANISM IN THE MITIGATION OF DNA DAMAGE IN TYPE-2 DIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH YOGA IS FOUND TO BE BENEFICIAL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D), ITS MECHANISM OF ACTION IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. T2D IS ALSO KNOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS) AND DNA DAMAGE. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES HOW YOGA MODULATES OS-INDUCED DNA DAMAGE AND THE EFFICIENCY OF DNA REPAIR IN T2D CONDITIONS. METHODS: IN THIS ASSESSOR-MASKED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL, T2D SUBJECTS (N = 61), AGED (MEAN +/- SD, 50.3 +/- 4.2) WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO YOGA GROUP (31) THAT RECEIVED 10 WEEKS OF YOGA INTERVENTION AND CONTROL (30) WITH ROUTINE EXERCISES. MOLECULAR AND BIOCHEMICAL ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD. STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING USING "R" WAS USED FOR MEDIATION ANALYSIS. RESULTS: AT THE END OF THE 10TH WEEK, YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DNA DAMAGE INDICATORS LIKE TAIL MOMENT (-5.88[95%CI: -10.47 TO -1.30]; P = .013) AND OLIVE TAIL MOMENT (-2.93[95%CI: -4.87 TO -1.00]; P < .01), OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE MARKER 8-OHDG (-60.39[95%CI: -92.55 TO -28.23]; P < .001) AND FASTING BLOOD SUGAR (-22.58[95%CI: -44.33 TO -0.83]; P = .042) COMPARED TO CONTROL. OGG1 PROTEIN EXPRESSION INDICATING DNA REPAIR, IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (17.55[95%CI:1.37 TO 33.73]; P = .034) WHEREAS TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY DID NOT (5.80[95%CI: -0.86 TO 12.47]; P = 0.086). MEDIATION ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT IMPROVEMENTS IN OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND DNA REPAIR TOGETHER PLAYED A MAJOR MEDIATORY ROLE (97.4%) IN CARRYING THE EFFECT OF YOGA. CONCLUSION: THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON DNA DAMAGE IN T2D SUBJECTS WAS FOUND TO BE MEDIATED BY MITIGATION OF OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND ENHANCEMENT OF DNA REPAIR. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: (WWW.CTRI.NIC.IN) CTRI/2018/07/014825. 2022 8 1989 29 SPERM METHYLOME ALTERATIONS FOLLOWING YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS OF PRIMARY MALE INFERTILITY: A PILOT STUDY. A MAJORITY OF THE CASES OF PRIMARY MALE INFERTILITY ARE IDIOPATHIC WITH THE UNDERLYING MOLECULAR MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AS YET UNKNOWN. EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ALTER THE SPERM EPIGENOME THEREBY IMPACTING MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTANDING HEALTH AND DISEASE, AND METHYLOME ALTERATIONS ARE NOW KNOWN TO HAVE FAR-REACHING CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS. HERE, WE REPORT THE RESULTS FROM OUR PILOT STUDY, A FIRST OF ITS KIND ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA ON HUMAN SPERM QUALITY. WE FIND MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN SPERM CHARACTERISTICS IN PATIENTS OF IDIOPATHIC MALE INFERTILITY FOLLOWING A SUPERVISED 21-DAY YOGA REGIMEN. FURTHERMORE, NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING-BASED METHYLOME ANALYSIS REVEALS ALTERATIONS IN THE SPERM EPIGENOME OF THESE PATIENTS. WE FIND THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH DNA METHYLATION CHANGES AT NEARLY 400 GENES, 147 OF WHICH WERE HYPERMETHYLATED WHILE 229 WERE HYPOMETHYLATED. THESE INCLUDED PROMOTERS OF SEVERAL GENES LINKED TO MAINTENANCE OF FERTILITY AND GENOMIC INTEGRITY. THIS NOVEL PIECE OF WORK DRAWS A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN POSITIVE LIFESTYLE PRACTICES AND MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. 2020 9 2816 26 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 10 2038 49 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 11 833 34 EFFECT OF YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ELDERLY WITH GRADE-I HYPERTENSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: HYPERTENSION, ESPECIALLY IN ELDERLY IS A STRONG RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY. OXIDATIVE STRESS HAS BEEN IMPLICATED AS ONE OF THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF HYPERTENSION. YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO CONTROL HYPERTENSION IN THE ELDERLY, BUT THE UNDERLYING BENEFITS OF MECHANISM IN RELATION TO OXIDATIVE STRESS REGULATION REMAINS UNCLEAR. THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ELDERLY WITH GRADE-I HYPERTENSION. METHODS: AN OPEN PARALLEL-ARM RANDOMISED CONTROLLED STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT BLDE UNIVERSITY'S SHRI B.M.PATIL MEDICAL COLLEGE, HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE, INDIA ON ELDERLY MALE INDIVIDUALS WITH GRADE-I HYPERTENSION (N=57, AGE 60-80 YEARS). STUDY (YOGA) GROUP WAS ASSIGNED FOR YOGA INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUP FOR WALKING FOR ONE HOUR IN THE MORNING FOR SIX DAYS IN A WEEK FOR THREE MONTHS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND PHYSICAL TRAINING INSTRUCTOR RESPECTIVELY. SERUM MALONDIALDEHYDE (MDA) AS AN INDICATOR OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ANTIOXIDANTS SUCH AS SERUM SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (SOD), REDUCED GLUTATHIONE (GSH) AND VITAMIN C LEVELS WERE ESTIMATED. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE FOR THREE MONTHS HAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED SERUM MDA LEVEL (P<0.001), AND ENHANCED ANTIOXIDANTS LEVEL SUCH AS SOD ACTIVITY (P=0.007), SERUM GSH (P=0.002) AND VITAMIN C (P=0.002). IN THE CONTROL GROUP, WE OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SERUM MDA LEVEL (P=0.04) AND REDUCTION IN SERUM VITAMIN C LEVEL (P=0.015) WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE SOD ACTIVITY AND GSH LEVEL. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO REDUCE OXIDATIVE STRESS AND TO IMPROVE ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE IN ELDERLY HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS. 2014 12 1394 39 IMPACT OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH RETINOBLASTOMA. BACKGROUND: CHILDHOOD CANCERS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A PSYCHOLOGICAL BURDEN TO THE PARENTS AND HENCE, DECLINE THEIR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF 12-WEEKS YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE PARENTS OF CHILDREN AFFECTED WITH RETINOBLASTOMA. METHOD: SINGLE ARM PROSPECTIVE CLINICAL TRIAL CONDUCTED FROM OCTOBER 2015 TO OCTOBER 2017 AT THE LABORATORY FOR MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION AND GENETICS, DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY, ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEW DELHI, INDIA. A PRE-TESTED 12-WEEKS YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION INCLUDED ASANAS (PHYSICAL POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), DHYANA (MEDITATION), RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, LECTURES AND FILMS ON YOGA, INTERACTIVE SESSIONS AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE WAS ADMINISTERED TO THE PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: 12-WEEKS OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMME LEADS TO A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE PARENTS OF RETINOBLASTOMA PATIENTS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL THE DOMAINS (PHYSICAL HEALTH, PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, AND ENVIRONMENT) OF WHOQOL-BREF FROM BASELINE (DAY 0) TO 12-WEEKS OF YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION. YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ALSO LED TO A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE LEVELS OF BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR, DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE SULPHATE, SIRTUIN 1 AND DECREASED THE CORTISOL AND IL-6 LEVELS. CONCLUSION: YOGA BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION REDUCED THE SEVERITY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND RESULTED IN IMPROVEMENT IN OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND UPREGULATION IN LEVELS OF SYSTEMIC BIOMARKERS OF NEUROPLASTICITY. YBLI MAY SERVE AS A BENEFICIAL THERAPY AND MAY ALSO ACT AS AN EFFECTIVE MEDIUM FOR BETTER STRESS MANAGEMENT TO DEVELOP BETTER COPING STRATEGIES IN THE PARENTS OF RETINOBLASTOMA PATIENTS. 2019 13 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 14 1374 38 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 15 1789 29 PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS OF THE EFFECT OF A BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION ON MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND DNA METHYLATION IN CHRONICALLY STRESSED WOMEN. YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED STRESS AND INCREASED WELL-BEING, ALTHOUGH THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THESE BENEFITS IS NOT CLEAR. MOUNTING EVIDENCE IMPLICATES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE, WITH CURRENT STUDIES FOCUSED ON PROTEIN IMMUNE MARKERS (SUCH AS CYTOKINES) IN CLINICAL POPULATIONS. TO EXPLORE THE MOLECULAR IMPACT, THIS PILOT STUDY USES A SUBSAMPLE (N=28) FROM A RANDOMISED WAITLIST CONTROL TRIAL INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION IN A COMMUNITY POPULATION OF WOMEN REPORTING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (N=116). WE MEASURED INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF) AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP) PROTEIN LEVELS, AND THE DNA METHYLATION OF THESE GENES AND THE GLOBAL INDICATOR, LINE-1. CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THESE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES WERE EXPLORED, IDENTIFYING MODERATE CORRELATIONS WITH CRP PROTEIN LEVELS, AND METHYLATION OF IL-6, CRP AND LINE-1. MANY CYTOKINE SAMPLES WERE BELOW DETECTION, HOWEVER A MANN-WHITNEY U DEMONSTRATED A TREND OF MODERATE BETWEEN-GROUP EFFECT FOR ELEVATED IL-6 IN THE YOGA GROUP. METHYLATION ANALYSES APPLIED CROSS-SECTIONAL AND NON-CONTROLLED LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES. WAIST-TO-HEIGHT RATIO AND AGE WERE COVARIED. WE DEMONSTRATED REDUCED METHYLATION OF THE TNF REGION IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO THE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. NO OTHER GENES DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE. LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS FURTHER SUPPORTED THESE RESULTS. THIS STUDY IS ONE OF THE FIRST TO EXPLORE YOGA AND IMMUNOLOGICAL MARKERS IN A NON-CLINICAL POPULATION, AND IS THE FIRST STUDY TO EXPLORE DNA METHYLATION. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT FURTHER RESEARCH INTO MOLECULAR IMPACT OF YOGA ON MARKERS OF IMMUNE FUNCTION IS WARRANTED, WITH LARGER STUDIES REQUIRED. 2016 16 508 33 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 17 2731 27 YOGA OFFERS CARDIOVASCULAR PROTECTION IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. CONTEXT: POSTMENOPAUSE, AN ESTROGEN DEFICIENT STATE COMES WITH INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVDS). YOGA HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS HAVING A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), A MARKER FOR CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY WHICH CAN ASSESS CARDIOVASCULAR RISK, IN VARIOUS POPULATIONS. AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF 3-MONTH LONG YOGA PRACTICE ON HRV IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF 67 WOMEN WITHIN 5 YEARS OF MENOPAUSE BETWEEN 45 AND 60 YEARS OF AGE ATTENDING MENOPAUSE CLINIC OF DEPARTMENT OF GYNAECOLOGY, SUCHETA KRIPLANI HOSPITAL FULFILLING INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA AND CONSENTING WERE ENROLLED FOR THE STUDY. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: HRV OF 37 CASES (YOGA GROUP) AND 30 CONTROLS (NON-YOGA GROUP) WAS RECORDED PRE AND 3-MONTH POSTINTERVENTION. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: GRAPHPAD PRISM VERSION 5 SOFTWARE WAS USED. VALUES ARE A MEAN AND STANDARD ERROR OF MEAN. STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS SET UP AT P < 0.05. RESULTS: IN HRV, FREQUENCY DOMAIN ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT FALL IN LOW FREQUENCY (LF) IN NORMALIZED UNITS (NU) AND LF: HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) RATIO AND SIGNIFICANT RISE IN HF IN NU IN THE YOGA GROUP (DEPICTING PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE) AGAINST A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN LF (NU) AND LF: HF RATIO AND SIGNIFICANT FALL IN HF (NU) IN NON-YOGA GROUP (INDICATING SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE). TIME DOMAIN ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STANDARD DEVIATION OF NN INTERVALS IN NON-YOGA GROUP AGAINST NONSIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN YOGA GROUP INDICATING DETERIORATION IN PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IN NON-YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THREE-MONTH LONG YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED HRV IN EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN SIGNIFICANTLY AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ATTENUATE THE CVD RISK IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. 2018 18 692 31 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 19 324 21 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 20 2169 26 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: WHILE PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN NORMAL PREGNANCIES, THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES FOR THE FIRST TIME. METHODS: 68 HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN WERE RECRUITED FROM TWO MATERNITY HOSPITALS IN BENGALURU, INDIA AND WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP (N=30) RECEIVED STANDARD CARE PLUS ONE-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS, THREE TIMES A WEEK, FROM THE 12TH TO THE 28TH WEEK OF GESTATION. THE CONTROL GROUP (N=38) RECEIVED STANDARD CARE PLUS CONVENTIONAL ANTENATAL EXERCISES (WALKING) DURING THE SAME PERIOD. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY INDUCED HYPERTENSION (PIH), PREECLAMPSIA, GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM) AND INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION (IUGR) CASES WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P=0.018, 0.042, 0.049, 0.05 RESPECTIVELY). SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE (SGA) BABIES AND NEWBORNS WITH LOW APGAR SCORES (P=0.006) WERE BORN IN THE YOGA GROUP (P=0.033). CONCLUSION: THIS FIRST RANDOMIZED STUDY OF YOGA IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY HAS SHOWN THAT YOGA CAN POTENTIALLY BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY IN REDUCING HYPERTENSIVE RELATED COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND IMPROVING FETAL OUTCOMES. ADDITIONAL DATA IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS AND BETTER EXPLAIN THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF YOGA IN THIS IMPORTANT AREA. 2012