1 529 123 COMPARISON OF PROTEIN-PACING ALONE OR WITH YOGA/STRETCHING AND RESISTANCE TRAINING ON GLYCEMIA, TOTAL AND REGIONAL BODY COMPOSITION, AND AEROBIC FITNESS IN OVERWEIGHT WOMEN. BACKGROUND: YOGA/STRETCHING (YS) AND FUNCTIONAL RESISTANCE (FR) TRAINING ARE POPULAR EXERCISE ROUTINES. A PROTEIN-PACING (PP) DIET IS A COMMON DIETARY REGIMEN. THUS, WE ASSESSED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PP DIET ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH EITHER YS OR FR TO IMPROVE BODY COMPOSITION AND CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH. METHODS: TWENTY-SEVEN OVERWEIGHT WOMEN (AGE = 43.2 +/- 4.6 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO 3 GROUPS: YOGA (YS, N = 8) OR RESISTANCE (FR, N = 10) TRAINING (3 DAYS/WEEK) IN CONJUNCTION WITH PP DIET (50% CARBOHYDRATE, 25% PROTEIN, AND 25% FAT) OR PP DIET-ONLY (PP, N = 9) THROUGHOUT 12-WEEK STUDY. PP MAINTAINED PREEXISTING LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. BODY WEIGHT (BW), TOTAL (BF) AND ABDOMINAL (ABF) BODY FAT, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (WC), PLASMA BIOMARKERS, AND AEROBIC FITNESS (VO2) WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: WC AND TOTAL CHOLESTEROL IMPROVED IN ALL GROUPS, WHEREAS GLYCEMIA TENDED TO IMPROVE (P = .06) IN S. BF, ABF, AND VO2 INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN YS AND FR (P < .05). FEELINGS OF VIGOR INCREASED IN YS AND TENSION DECREASED IN FR (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: YS TRAINING TENDED TO DECREASE BLOOD GLUCOSE COMPARED WITH FR AND PP AND IS EQUALLY EFFECTIVE AT ENHANCING BODY COMPOSITION, AND AEROBIC FITNESS IN OVERWEIGHT WOMEN PROVIDING A STRONG RATIONALE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ON YS TRAINING. 2016 2 2076 30 THE EFFECT OF BIKRAM YOGA ON ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO DETERMINE IF BIKRAM YOGA, A STYLE OF HEATED HATHA YOGA, WOULD IMPROVE ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN YOUNG AND MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER, HEALTHY ADULTS. THIS TRIAL WAS PERFORMED IN 36 YOUNG (N = 17) AND MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS (N = 19) WHO COMPLETED 3 WEEKLY BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES FOR 8 WEEKS. HEIGHT, BODY WEIGHT AND BODY COMPOSITION WERE DETERMINED AND ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION WAS MEASURED NONINVASIVELY USING BRACHIAL ARTERY FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION (FMD) BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. NO CHANGES IN BODY WEIGHT, BMI OR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE INTERVENTION IN EITHER GROUP. BRACHIAL ARTERY FMD WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER (P < 0.05) BUT NOT IN YOUNG ADULTS AS A RESULT OF THE INTERVENTION. THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT A RELATIVELY SHORT-TERM BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE MIGHT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS. WHILE APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN THIS STUDY EXPERIENCED NO ADVERSE EVENTS, THOSE WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS SHOULD TAKE CAUTION AND CONSULT WITH A PHYSICIAN PRIOR TO ENGAGING IN THIS STYLE OF YOGA. 2017 3 100 17 A PERSPECTIVE ON YOGA AS A PREVENTIVE STRATEGY FOR CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019. THE PANDEMIC OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) INFECTION CAUSED BY SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME-CORONAVIRUS 2 HAS LED TO PROFOUND PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. IN PARTICULAR, INDIVIDUALS WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS OF HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES AND THE ELDERLY ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO SUCCUMB TO THIS INFECTION. THE CURRENT COVID-19 EMERGENCY CALLS FOR RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF POTENTIAL PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AGAINST THIS VIRUS-MEDIATED DISEASE. THERE IS A PLETHORA OF EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS THE ADD-ON BENEFITS OF YOGA IN STRESS MANAGEMENT, AS WELL AS PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES. THERE ARE SOME STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AS WELL BUT VERY FEW FOR ACUTE CONDITIONS AND ALMOST NONE FOR THE RAPIDLY SPREADING INFECTIONS RESULTING IN PANDEMICS. BASED ON THE AVAILABLE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCES ON YOGA IN IMPROVING RESPIRATORY AND IMMUNE FUNCTIONS, WE HAVE FORMULATED VERY SIMPLE DOABLE INTEGRATED YOGA MODULES IN THE FORM OF VIDEOS TO BE PRACTICED FOR PREVENTION OF THE DISEASE BY CHILDREN, ADULTS, AND THE ELDERLY. 2020 4 1045 34 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 5 993 14 EFFECTS OF HEATED AND THERMONEUTRAL YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. THE STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFICACY OF 12 WEEKS OF HEATED AND THERMONEUTRAL BIKRAM YOGA IN REDUCING ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS. FIFTY-FOUR SEDENTARY ADULTS (AGES 40-60 YEARS) COMPLETED 12 WEEKS OF YOGA AT 40.5 DEGREES C (N = 21), YOGA AT 23 DEGREES C (N = 14) OR TIME CONTROL (N = 19). BRACHIAL-ANKLE PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (PWV) WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED BY HOT OR THERMONEUTRAL YOGA INTERVENTIONS. 2018 6 1298 26 HATHA YOGA AND VASCULAR FUNCTION: RESULTS FROM CROSS-SECTIONAL AND INTERVENTIONAL STUDIES. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF HATHA YOGA ON ARTERIAL ELASTICITY AND ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION. FIRST, A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA PRACTITIONERS WOULD DEMONSTRATE GREATER ARTERIAL COMPLIANCE AND ENDOTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASODILATION THAN THEIR SEDENTARY PEERS. SECOND, AN INTERVENTION STUDY INVOLVING 13 SEDENTARY MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS (51 +/- 7 YEARS) WAS PERFORMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER 12 WEEKS OF HATHA YOGA WOULD ELICIT INCREASES IN ARTERIAL COMPLIANCE AND ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION. IN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY INVOLVING A TOTAL OF 34 SUBJECTS, THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES IN BODY FATNESS, BLOOD LIPID AND LIPOPROTEIN CONCENTRATIONS, CAROTID ARTERY COMPLIANCE OR BRACHIAL ARTERY FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION (FMD). HEMOGLOBIN A1C WAS LOWER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS THAN IN SEDENTARY ADULTS (P < 0.05). TOTAL CHOLESTEROL AND HEMOGLOBIN A1C DECREASED AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P < 0.05) WHILE CAROTID ARTERY COMPLIANCE AND BRACHIAL ARTERY FMD DID NOT CHANGE. THE RESULTS OF BOTH CROSS-SECTIONAL AND INTERVENTIONAL STUDIES INDICATE THAT REGULAR PRACTICE OF HATHA YOGA IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN VASCULAR FUNCTIONS. 2013 7 268 34 ACUTE PHYSIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF PERFORMING YOGA IN THE HEAT ON ENERGY EXPENDITURE, RANGE OF MOTION, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. PERFORMING YOGA IN A HEATED ENVIRONMENT (HY) IS A POPULAR EXERCISE MODE PURPORTED TO IMPROVE RANGE OF MOTION (ROM), BODY COMPOSITION, AND AEROBIC FITNESS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO COMPARE A SESSION OF HY TO ROOM TEMPERATURE YOGA (RTY) WITH REGARDS TO ROM, OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, CALORIC EXPENDITURE, AND BIOMARKERS OF ACUTE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION. SIXTEEN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS (F14, M2; 40 +/- 11YR; 22.6 +/- 1.8 KG/M(2)) COMPLETED A 1-HOUR STANDARDIZED BIKRAM SEQUENCE IN HY (105 DEGREES F, 40 DEGREES C) AND RTY (74 DEGREES F, 23.3 DEGREES C) CONDITIONS (ORDER OF CONDITIONS RANDOMIZED, HUMIDITY STANDARDIZED AT 40%). INTRA-EXERCISE METABOLIC GAS EXCHANGE AND HEART RATE (HR) WAS MONITORED USING A METABOLIC CART. ROM MEASURES WERE TAKEN PRE AND POST-EXERCISE AT THE ELBOW, SHOULDER, HIP, AND KNEE. CYTOKINES INTERLEUKIN 6,10 (IL-6, IL-10) AND TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA) WERE ANALYZED FROM BLOOD SAMPLES COLLECTED PRE- AND 30-MINUTES POST-EXERCISE. INTRA-EXERCISE METABOLIC GAS EXCHANGE AND HEART RATE (HR) WAS MONITORED USING A METABOLIC CART. BOTH BOUTS ELICITED SIMILAR ACUTE CHANGES IN ROM ALTHOUGH HY ELICITED A GREATER INCREASE IN HIP ABDUCTION (RTYDELTA DEGREES = 2.3 +/- 1.3|HYDELTA DEGREES = 6.6 +/- 1.5; P < 0.05). MEAN VO2, PEAK VO2, %VO2MAX, HR, AND KCAL EXPENDITURE DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN CONDITIONS. RER WAS LOWER DURING THE HY (RTY = 0.95 +/- 0.02| HY = 0.89 +/- 0.02; P < 0.05) WITH A CONCOMITANT ELEVATION IN FAT OXIDATION (RTY = 0.05 +/- 0.01|HY = 0.09 +/- 0.01, G.MIN(-1); P < 0.05) AND DECREASE IN CARBOHYDRATE OXIDATION (RTY = 0.51 +/- 0.04|HY = 0.44 +/- 0.03, G.MIN(-1); P < 0.05). SERUM IL-6 WAS INCREASED (15.5 +/- 8.0-FOLD) FOLLOWING HY ONLY (P < 0.05). HY DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATE AEROBIC ENERGY COST COMPARED TO RTY BUT MAY ACUTELY INCREASE FAT SUBSTRATE UTILIZATION AND HIP ROM. FUTURE STUDIES REMAIN NEEDED TO ESTABLISH DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS FOR INCLUDING HY OR RTY INTO WELL-ROUNDED FITNESS PROGRAMS. 2020 8 741 26 EFFECT OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE ON RESPIRATORY REGULATION AND EXERCISE PERFORMANCE. YOGA ALTERS SPONTANEOUS RESPIRATORY REGULATION AND REDUCES HYPOXIC AND HYPERCAPNIC VENTILATORY RESPONSES. SINCE A LOWER VENTILATORY RESPONSE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROVED ENDURANCE CAPACITY DURING WHOLE-BODY EXERCISE, WE TESTED WHETHER YOGIC SUBJECTS (YOGA) SHOW AN INCREASED ENDURANCE CAPACITY COMPARED TO MATCHED NON-YOGIC INDIVIDUALS (CON) WITH SIMILAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS. RESTING VENTILATION, THE VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA, PASSIVE LEG MOVEMENT AND EXERCISE, AS WELL AS ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE WERE ASSESSED. YOGA (N = 9), COMPARED TO CONTROL (N = 6), HAD A HIGHER TIDAL VOLUME AT REST (0.7+/-0.2 VS. 0.5+/-0.1 L, P = 0.034) AND A REDUCED VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA (33+/-15 VS. 47+/-15 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.048). A YOGA SUBGROUP (N = 6) WITH MAXIMAL PERFORMANCE SIMILAR TO CONTROL SHOWED A BLUNTED VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO PASSIVE CYCLING (11+/-2 VS. 14+/-2 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.039) AND A TENDENCY TOWARDS LOWER EXERCISE VENTILATION (33+/-2 VS. 36+/-3 L.MIN(-1), P = 0.094) WHILE CYCLING ENDURANCE (YOGA: 17.3+/-3.3; CON: 19.6+/-8.5 MIN, P = 0.276) DID NOT DIFFER. THUS, YOGA PRACTICE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED EXERCISE CAPACITY NOR WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN EXERCISE VENTILATION DESPITE A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT RESPIRATORY REGULATION AT REST AND IN RESPONSE TO HYPERCAPNIA AND PASSIVE LEG MOVEMENT. 2016 9 276 40 ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENT OF RESPIRATORY TECHNIQUE ON VASCULAR FUNCTION IN HYPERTENSIVE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN FOLLOWING YOGA OR STRETCHING VIDEO CLASSES: THE YOGINI STUDY. BACKGROUND: HYPERTENSION REMAINS HIGHLY PREVALENT IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, ALONG WITH VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION AND INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS. IN SUCH CONTEXT, REGULAR EXERCISES, YOGA PRACTICE, AND SLOW BREATHING HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED TO TREAT HYPERTENSION. HOWEVER, THE EFFECTS OF THE MULTIPLE COMPONENTS OF YOGA, INCLUDING THE RESPIRATORY TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN THE PRACTICE, ON HYPERTENSION AND ON VASCULAR AND ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION HAVE NEVER BEEN EVALUATED. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE ADDITIONAL EFFECTS OF RESPIRATORY TECHNIQUE ON VASCULAR FUNCTION AND OXIDATIVE STRESS PROFILE IN HYPERTENSIVE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (HPMWS) FOLLOWING YOGA OR STRETCHING VIDEO CLASSES. STUDY DESIGN: HYPERTENSIVE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED FOR 12 WEEKS, TWICE A WEEK, OF SUPERVISED YOGA OR STRETCHING VIDEO CLASSES OF 75 MIN FOR 12 WEEKS ASSOCIATED OR NOT WITH RESPIRATORY TECHNIQUE. BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION MEASUREMENTS INCLUDED PULSE WAVE VELOCITY (PWV), FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION (FMD), AND OXIDATIVE STRESS PARAMETERS. HYPERTENSIVE POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN (59 +/- 0.7 YEARS) WHO ENDED THE PROTOCOL WERE DISTRIBUTED INTO THREE GROUPS: (1) CONTROL GROUP (YOGA OR STRETCHING, C, N = 14); (2) YOGA + RESPIRATORY TECHNIQUE (Y+, N = 10); (3) STRETCHING + RESPIRATORY TECHNIQUE (S+, N = 9). RESULTS: DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND FMD [BASELINE: C: 6.94 +/- 1.97%, Y+: 7.05 +/- 1.65%, AND S+: 3.54 +/- 2.01% VS. POST: C: 16.59 +/- 3.46% (P = 0.006), Y+: 13.72 +/- 2.81% (P = 0.005), AND S+: 11.79 +/- 0.99% (P = 0.0001)] HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN ALL GROUPS WHEN BASELINE AND POST-PRACTICE VALUES WERE COMPARED. HOWEVER, RESTING HEART RATE AND PWV [BASELINE: Y+: 10.44 +/- 3.69 AND S+: 9.50 +/- 0.53 M/S VS. POST: Y+: 9.45 +/- 0.39 (P = 0.003) AND S+: 8.02 +/- 0.47 M/S (P = 0.003)] DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY ONLY IN THE Y+ AND S+ GROUPS (BASELINE VS. POST). SYSTEMIC ANTIOXIDANT ENZYME ACTIVITIES (SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE AND CATALASE) INCREASED IN ALL GROUPS, AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND LIPOPEROXIDATION REDUCED IN Y+ AND S+ (BASELINE VS. POST). CONCLUSIONS: TWELVE WEEKS OF YOGA OR STRETCHING VIDEO CLASSES PROMOTED POSITIVE CHANGES IN SEVERAL OUTCOMES GENERALLY REGARDED AS CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN HPMWS, AND THESE CHANGES WERE EVEN MORE PRONOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION WITH RESPIRATORY TECHNIQUE. 2020 10 437 35 CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC EFFECTS OF INTENSIVE HATHA YOGA TRAINING IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN FROM NORTHERN MEXICO. BACKGROUND: HATHA YOGA (HY) CAN BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. HOWEVER, CONVENTIONAL HY (CHY) EXERCISING MAY NOT RESULT IN ENOUGH TRAINING STIMULUS TO IMPROVE CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF AN INTENSIVE HY INTERVENTION (IHY) ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN FROM NORTHERN MEXICO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THIS PROSPECTIVE QUASIEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, FOUR MIDDLE-AGED AND NINE OLDER CHY PRACTICING FEMALES (YOGINIS) WERE ENROLLED INTO AN 11-WEEK IHY PROGRAM CONSISTING OF 5 SESSIONS/WEEK FOR 90 MIN (55 SESSIONS). THE PROGRAM ADHERENCE, ASANA PERFORMANCE, AND WORK INTENSITY WERE ASSESSED ALONG THE INTERVENTION. ANTHROPOMETRIC [BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), % BODY FAT AND SIGMA SKIN FOLDS], CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS [MAXIMAL EXPIRED AIR VOLUME (VE(MAX)), MAXIMAL O(2) CONSUMPTION (VO(2MAX)), MAXIMAL HEART RATE (HR(MAX)), SYSTOLIC (BPS) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (BPD)], BIOCHEMICAL [GLUCOSE, TRIACYLGLYCEROLS (TAG), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), AND LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C)], AND DIETARY PARAMETERS WERE EVALUATED BEFORE AND AFTER IHY. RESULTS: DAILY CALORIC INTAKE (~1,916 KCAL/DAY), PROGRAM ADHERENCE (~85%), AND EXERCISING SKILLS (ASANA PERFORMANCE) WERE SIMILAR IN BOTH MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. THE IHY PROGRAM DID NOT MODIFY ANY ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. HOWEVER, IT INCREASED VO(2MAX) AND VE(MAX) AND HDL-C WHILE TAG AND LDL-C REMAINED STABLE IN BOTH MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER GROUPS (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: THE PROPOSED IHY PROGRAM IMPROVES DIFFERENT CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS (NAMELY VO(2MAX) AND HDL-C) IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. 2009 11 1940 26 ROUTINE YOGA PRACTICE IMPACTS WHOLE BODY PROTEIN UTILIZATION IN HEALTHY WOMEN. WHOLE BODY PROTEIN UTILIZATION (WBPU), WHICH INCLUDES FLUX (Q), PROTEIN SYNTHESIS (PS), PROTEIN BREAKDOWN (PB), AND WHOLE BODY PROTEIN BALANCE (WBPB), PROVIDES INSIGHT REGARDING MUSCLE MASS, A CRITERION FOR SARCOPENIA. TO CHARACTERIZE YOGA'S IMPACT ON WBPU, BODY COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONAL MEASURES IN HEALTHY (50-65 YEARS) WOMEN. WBPU AND FUNCTIONAL MEASURES WERE COMPARED BETWEEN WOMEN WHO ROUTINELY PRACTICED YOGA (YOGA; N = 7) AND NONACTIVE COUNTERPARTS (CON; N = 8). Q (0.61 +/- 0.06 VS. 0.78 +/- 0.07, P = .04), PS (3.07 +/- 0.37 VS. 4.17 +/- 0.40, P = .03), PB (2.59 +/- 0.48 VS. 3.80 +/- 0.48, P = .05) WERE LOWER, AND LEAN BODY MASS HIGHER (64 +/- 1 VS. 58 +/- 2%, P