1 1030 118 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 2 674 46 EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE SUBJECTS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. DESIGN AND SETTING: NONRANDOMIZED, SINGLE-ARM INTERVENTIONAL STUDY CONDUCTED FROM AUGUST 2012 TO MARCH 2015 AT INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC, DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY, ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEW DELHI, INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: OVERWEIGHT (BODY-MASS INDEX [BMI], 23-24.9 KG/M(2)) AND OBESE (BMI, >/=25 KG/M(2)) PERSONS (N = 279) AGED 20-60 YEARS. INTERVENTION: PRETESTED YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, INCLUDING ASANAS (POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, LECTURES, GROUP SUPPORT, NUTRITION AWARENESS PROGRAM, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS HRQOL, MEASURED BY USING SHORT VERSION OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL-BREF) QUESTIONNAIRE. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, PULSE RATE, LIPID PROFILE, AND FASTING GLUCOSE. A SUBGROUP ANALYSIS ACCORDING TO SEX WAS ALSO PERFORMED. RESULTS: THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH IMPROVED AFTER SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10, AND EFFICACY WAS NOTED IN BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SUBGROUPS. AFTER 10 DAYS OF INTERVENTION, THE FOLLOWING ALSO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY: BODY WEIGHT, BMI, TOTAL BODY FAT, WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, TRIGLYCERIDES, AND FASTING GLUCOSE. CONCLUSION: A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HRQOL IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. 2016 3 324 46 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 4 50 40 A COMPARATIVE CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND WALKING FOR OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE ADULTS. BACKGROUND: WALKING AND YOGA HAVE BEEN INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED FOR WEIGHT CONTROL; HOWEVER, THERE ARE VERY FEW STUDIES COMPARING THE 2 WITH RANDOMIZATION. MATERIAL AND METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY COMPARED THE EFFECTS OF 90 MINUTES/DAY FOR 15 DAYS OF SUPERVISED YOGA OR SUPERVISED WALKING ON: (I) RELATED BIOCHEMISTRY, (II) ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES, (III) BODY COMPOSITION, (IV) POSTURAL STABILITY, AND (V) BILATERAL HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. SIXTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS, OF WHOM 5 WERE OVERWEIGHT (BMI >/=25 KG/M2) AND 63 WERE OBESE (BMI >/=30 KG/M2; GROUP MEAN AGE +/-S.D., 36.4+/-11.2 YEARS; 35 FEMALES), WERE RANDOMIZED AS 2 GROUPS - (I) A YOGA GROUP AND (II) A WALKING GROUP - GIVEN THE SAME DIET. RESULTS: ALL DIFFERENCES WERE PRE-POST CHANGES WITHIN EACH GROUP. BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT (P<0.05; REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST-HOC ANALYSES) DECREASE IN: BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, LEAN MASS, BODY WATER, AND TOTAL CHOLESTEROL. THE YOGA GROUP INCREASED SERUM LEPTIN (P<0.01) AND DECREASED LDL CHOLESTEROL (P<0.05). THE WALKING GROUP DECREASED SERUM ADIPONECTIN (P<0.05) AND TRIGLYCERIDES (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YOGA AND WALKING IMPROVED ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES AND SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. 2014 5 913 50 EFFECTIVENESS OF LIQUID FASTING WITH YOGA AND NATUROPATHY TREATMENTS IN REDUCING METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS IN OBESITY. CONTEXT: OBESITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING METABOLIC SYNDROME AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES (CVDS). FASTING IS COMMONLY EMPLOYED BY OBESE PEOPLE TO REDUCE THEIR WEIGHT. LIKEWISE, YOGA AND NATUROPATHY (YN) THAT INCLUDE LIQUID FASTING (LF) HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING WEIGHT FOR PEOPLE WITH METABOLIC DISORDERS. HOWEVER, THE SAFETY OF LF DURING YN TREATMENTS AND ITS EFFECTS ON METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS HAVEN'T YET BEEN REPORTED. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY OF LF DURING YN TREATMENTS AND ITS EFFECTS ON METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN PEOPLE WITH OBESITY. DESIGN: A SINGLE-GROUP, PRETEST-AND-POSTTEST DESIGN WAS ADOPTED FOR THE STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY TOOK PLACE IN A YN HOSPITAL LOCATED IN SOUTH INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 176 OBESE PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 65 YEARS. INTERVENTION: TOGETHER WITH YN TREATMENTS, ALL PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT LF USING LIME JUICE WITH JAGGERY, ASH GUARD JUICE, VEGETABLE SOUP, BUTTERMILK, AND KOKUM JUICE FOR A PERIOD OF 5 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS SUCH AS BODY WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), FAT MASS, LIPID PROFILE, AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE TAKEN AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BODY WEIGHT, BMI, FAT MASS, TRIGLYCERIDES (TG), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C), VERY-LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (VLDL-C), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (SBP), AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (DBP). CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT LF DURING YN TREATMENT CANBE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING METABOLIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN PEOPLE WITH OBESITY. 2021 6 68 38 A DIFFERENT WEIGHT LOSS EXPERIENCE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY EXPLORING THE BEHAVIORAL, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA THAT PROMOTE WEIGHT LOSS. YOGA INTERVENTIONS IMPROVE OBESITY-RELATED OUTCOMES INCLUDING BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), BODY WEIGHT, BODY FAT, AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, YET IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THESE IMPROVEMENTS ARE DUE TO INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCREASED LEAN MUSCLE MASS, AND/OR CHANGES IN EATING BEHAVIORS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXPERIENCE OF LOSING WEIGHT THROUGH YOGA. METHODS. SEMISTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WERE QUALITATIVELY ANALYZED USING A DESCRIPTIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH. RESULTS. TWO DISTINCT GROUPS WHO HAD LOST WEIGHT THROUGH YOGA RESPONDED: THOSE WHO WERE OVERWEIGHT AND HAD REPEATEDLY STRUGGLED IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO LOSE WEIGHT (55%, N = 11) AND THOSE WHO WERE OF NORMAL WEIGHT AND HAD LOST WEIGHT UNINTENTIONALLY (45%, N = 9). FIVE THEMES EMERGED THAT DIFFERED SLIGHTLY BY GROUP: SHIFT TOWARD HEALTHY EATING, IMPACT OF THE YOGA COMMUNITY/YOGA CULTURE, PHYSICAL CHANGES, PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES, AND THE BELIEF THAT THE YOGA WEIGHT LOSS EXPERIENCE WAS DIFFERENT THAN PAST WEIGHT LOSS EXPERIENCES. CONCLUSIONS. THESE FINDINGS IMPLY THAT YOGA COULD OFFER DIVERSE BEHAVIORAL, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS THAT MAY MAKE IT A USEFUL TOOL FOR WEIGHT LOSS. ROLE MODELING AND SOCIAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE YOGA COMMUNITY MAY CONTRIBUTE TO WEIGHT LOSS, PARTICULARLY FOR INDIVIDUALS STRUGGLING TO LOSE WEIGHT. 2016 7 1970 36 SHORT TERM HEALTH IMPACT OF A YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM ON OBESITY. BACKGROUND: OBESE PERSONS OFTEN FIND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DIFFICULT. THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM, EMPHASIZING BREATHING TECHNIQUES PRACTICED WHILE SEATED, WAS ASSESSED IN OBESE PERSONS. MATERIAL/METHODS: A SINGLE GROUP OF 47 PERSONS WERE ASSESSED ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF A YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM, WITH 6 DAYS OF THE INTERVENTION BETWEEN ASSESSMENTS. THE ASSESSMENTS WERE: BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCES, MID-ARM CIRCUMFERENCE, BODY COMPOSITION, HAND GRIP STRENGTH, POSTURAL STABILITY, SERUM LIPID PROFILE AND FASTING SERUM LEPTIN LEVELS. PARTICIPANTS PRACTICED YOGA FOR 5 HOURS EVERY DAY AND HAD A LOW FAT, HIGH FIBER, VEGETARIAN DIET. LAST AND FIRST DAY DATA WERE COMPARED USING A T-TEST FOR PAIRED DATA. RESULTS: FOLLOWING THE 6-DAY RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM, PARTICIPANTS SHOWED A DECREASE IN BMI (1.6 PERCENT), WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCES, FAT-FREE MASS, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (7.7 PERCENT DECREASE), HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL) CHOLESTEROL (8.7 PERCENT DECREASE), FASTING SERUM LEPTIN LEVELS (44.2 PERCENT DECREASE) AND AN INCREASE IN POSTURAL STABILITY AND HAND GRIP STRENGTH (P<0.05, ALL COMPARISONS). CONCLUSIONS: A 6-DAY YOGA AND DIET CHANGE PROGRAM DECREASED THE BMI AND THE FAT-FREE MASS. TOTAL CHOLESTEROL ALSO DECREASED DUE TO REDUCED HDL LEVELS. THIS SUGGESTS THAT A BRIEF, INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM WITH A CHANGE IN DIET CAN POSE CERTAIN RISKS. BENEFITS SEEN WERE BETTER POSTURAL STABILITY, GRIP STRENGTH (THOUGH A 'PRACTICE EFFECT' WAS NOT RULED OUT), REDUCED WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCES AND A DECREASE IN SERUM LEPTIN LEVELS. 2010 8 1491 42 INTERLEUKIN-6, VITAMIN D & DIABETES RISK-FACTORS MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: SEVERAL DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAMMES HAVE DEMONSTRATED A REDUCTION IN INCIDENCE OF DIABETES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PREDIABETES THROUGH WEIGHT LOSS. SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES HAVE ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFICACIOUS IN WEIGHT LOSS. THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO INVESTIGATE IF INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6, VITAMIN D, NEOPTERIN, VASPIN, AND DIABETES RISK FACTORS CAN BE MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT/OBESE SUBJECTS. METHODS: IN THIS PILOT STUDY, 34 OVERWEIGHT/OBESE [BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) >/= 23 TO <35 KG/M [2] PER ASIAN CUT-OFF VALUES] INDIVIDUALS WERE ENROLLED, AND RECEIVED DIRECTLY SUPERVISED INTERVENTION FOR 10 DAYS. THEREAFTER, THEY WERE ADVISED TO FOLLOW THIS YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE AT HOME FOR ONE MONTH, AND WERE REASSESSED FOR STUDY VARIABLES AT DAY 30. RESULTS: THERE WAS A REDUCTION FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 IN WEIGHT ( P <0.001), BMI ( P <0.001), WAIST/HIP-RATIO ( P <0.05), BLOOD GLUCOSE ( P <0.01), AND A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN LIPID PROFILE. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN MEDIAN FASTING INSULIN ( P <0.05), HOMEOSTATIC MODEL ASSESSMENT-INSULIN RESISTANCE ( P <0.01), AND IL-6 ( PP <0.05). A NON-SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN 25-OH-VITAMIN D, AND A DECREASE IN NEOPTERIN AND VASPIN WERE OBSERVED. TWENTY SUBJECTS RETURNED FOR FOLLOW UP ASSESSMENTS. AT DAY 30, WEIGHT LOSS WAS SUSTAINED WHILE SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE ALSO SHOWED REDUCTION ( P <0.05). CHANGES IN VITAMIN D LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY AND NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN WEIGHT, BMI AND FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, AND POSITIVELY WITH CHANGE IN HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN. CHANGES IN BODY WEIGHT AND BMI SIGNIFICANTLY AND POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH INSULIN. CHANGES IN IL-6 LEVELS POSITIVELY AND SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH CHANGE IN NEOPTERIN LEVELS. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SHOWED THAT IL-6, VITAMIN D, AND DIABETES RISK FACTORS WERE FAVOURABLY MODIFIED BY A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OBESITY. THIS STUDY ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THE CHALLENGES IN COMPLIANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOLLOW UP OF SUBJECTS FOLLOWING AN AGGRESSIVE SUPERVISED INTERVENTION OF 10 DAYS. 2015 9 1328 42 HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL INCREASES FOLLOWING A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION: A NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL MODULATION. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF A BRIEF BUT COMPREHENSIVE YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C). METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE INTERVENTIONAL STUDY WAS PERFORMED AT THE INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC (IHC), AN OUTPATIENT FACILITY AT ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEW DELHI, A TERTIARY HEALTH CARE CENTRE, CONDUCTING YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. THE STUDY INCLUDED APPARENTLY HEALTHY NORMAL WEIGHT, OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE SUBJECTS WHO UNDERWENT A PRETESTED 10-DAY YOGA-BASED PROGRAMME INCLUDING ASANAS (POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), MEDITATION, GROUP DISCUSSIONS, LECTURES AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE ON STRESS MANAGEMENT AND HEALTHY DIET. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS CHANGE IN SERUM HDL-C AT DAY 10 VERSUS DAY 0. RESULTS: 238 PARTICIPANTS (147 WOMEN, 91 MEN, 38.81+/-11.40 YEARS) WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HDL-C LEVELS FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10 (42.93+/-5.00 VS 43.52+/-5.07 MG/DL, P = 0.043). NOTABLY, HDL-C WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN THOSE FOR WHOM THE BASELINE HDL-C LEVELS WERE LOWER THAN THE RECOMMENDED VALUES. ALSO, THERE WAS A REDUCTION IN BLOOD PRESSURE, FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, AND IMPROVEMENT IN OTHER LIPID PROFILE VARIABLES. CONCLUSION: THIS YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED HDL-C LEVELS IN A SHORT DURATION OF 10 DAYS. THIS HAS ADDITIONAL CLINICAL RELEVANCE AS HDL-C IS SUGGESTED TO BE ONE OF THE STRONGEST STATISTICALLY INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS. 2014 10 788 54 EFFECT OF YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTION ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: REGULAR AEROBIC EXERCISE CAN EFFECTIVELY INCREASE MICROVASCULAR FUNCTION IN SKELETAL MUSCLE AND PROMOTE THE OXIDATION OF FATTY ACIDS. HOWEVER, WHETHER THE EFFECT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE INTERVENTION IS AFFECTED BY FAT CONTENT IS WORTH OF FURTHER EXPLORATION. IN THIS STUDY, BY MEANS OF YOGA COMBINED WITH EXERCISE, THE AUTHORS EXPLORED THE EFFECT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON MORPHOLOGY AND BLOOD LIPIDS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 81 FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THIS STUDY WERE ENROLLED BY BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) OBTAINED FROM THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION WHEN ENTERING THE SCHOOL. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO NORMAL (BMI: 20.98+/-1.52 KG/M2, N.=29), OVERWEIGHT (BMI: 25.57+/-1.34 KG/M2, N.=27), AND OBESITY (BMI: 28.46+/-2.36 KG/M2, N.=25) GROUPS BY BMI, AND ALL OF THEM COMPLETED A 12-WEEK YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING PROGRAM. RELEVANT MORPHOLOGICAL SUCH AS BODY WEIGHT, BODY HEIGHT, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, ETC. AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS SUCH AS LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (HDL-C), TOTAL CHOLESTEROL (TC) AND TRIGLYCERIDE (TG) WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING. ONE-WAY ANVOA, PAIRED-SAMPLE T-TEST WERE USED IN THIS STUDY. RESULTS: AFTER TRAINING PROGRAM, THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT: 1) THE HIP, BODY WEIGHT, BMI AND BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IN ALL THREE GROUPS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED; 2) WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE IN NORMAL AND OBESITY GROUPS HAD A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE THAN THAT IN OVERWEIGHT GROUP, HIP CIRCUMFERENCE AND WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO (WHR) IN OVERWEIGHT GROUP WERE BETTER THAN THOSE IN NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT GROUPS; THE DECREASE IN BMI IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY GROUPS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THAT IN NORMAL GROUP, AND THE WEIGHT LOSS AND DECREASED BODY FAT PERCENTAGE IN OBESITY GROUP WERE THE HIGHEST, FOLLOWED BY OVERWEIGHT GROUP, AND THE SMALLEST IN NORMAL GROUP; 3) IN ALL THREE GROUPS, HDL-C SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, LDL-C, TC/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C AND LDL-C/HDL-C SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED, TC AND TG SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN OBESITY GROUP; AND 4) TC/HDL-C AND TG/HDL-C IN OBESITY GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE IN NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT GROUPS, WHILE CHANGE IN TC AND TG WERE THE HIGHEST IN OBESITY GROUP, THE SECOND THE OVERWEIGHT GROUP, AND THE LOWEST IN NORMAL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING HAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECT ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND BLOOD LIPID INDICATORS IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. THE YOGA COMBINED WITH AEROBIC EXERCISE TRAINING CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY POPULATION. 2020 11 515 44 COMPARING BETWEEN THE EFFECT OF ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET AND YOGA ON THE RESTING METABOLIC RATE, ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES, AND SERUM ADIPOKINE LEVELS IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE STAFF WOMEN. BACKGROUND: WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IS AN IMPORTANT STRATEGY TO PREVENT THE CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY. THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE AND ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET ON RESTING METABOLIC RATE (RMR), ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES, AND SERUM ADIPONECTIN AND LEPTIN IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE WOMEN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OBESE OR OVERWEIGHT WOMEN WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA PRACTICING AND ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET. EXERCISE TRIALS CONSISTED OF 60-MIN HATHA YOGA EQUAL TO 200 KILOCALORIES (KCAL) COMBINED WITH 300 KCAL RESTRICTION PER DAY, AND AN ENERGY-RESTRICTED DIET CONSISTED OF 500 KCAL RESTRICTION PER DAY. THE INTERVENTION PERIOD FOR BOTH THE GROUPS WAS 8 WEEKS. RMR, ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES, AND SERUM ADIPONECTIN, LEPTIN, AND LIPID PROFILES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: RMR WAS INCREASED IN YOGA BUT NOT IN THE DIET GROUP (P = 0.001). THE LEVEL OF ADIPONECTIN WAS INCREASED IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE DIET (P = 0.035). THE CONCENTRATION OF HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN-CHOLESTEROL WAS DECREASED IN THE DIET GROUP SIGNIFICANTLY BUT NOT IN YOGA (P = 0.006). THE LEVEL OF LEPTIN WAS DECREASED IN BOTH THE GROUPS (P = 0.001), AND THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICING ON RMR, AND SERUM ADIPONECTIN, IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE WOMEN. IT SEEMS YOGA PRACTICE WITH LESS ENERGY RESTRICTION COMPARED WITH A COMMON ENERGY RESTRICTION DIET AND IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS. 2020 12 247 47 A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK REDUCTION: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TYPE 2 DIABETES IS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM IN MANY COUNTRIES INCLUDING INDIA. YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TYPE 2 DIABETES PREVENTION STRATEGY IN INDIA, PARTICULARLY GIVEN ITS CULTURAL FAMILIARITY. METHODS: THIS WAS A PARALLEL, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY TO COLLECT FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY DATA ON YOGA FOR DIABETES RISK FACTORS AMONG PEOPLE AT HIGH RISK OF DIABETES. PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED: CHANGES IN BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE, INSULIN, INSULIN RESISTANCE, BLOOD PRESSURE, AND CHOLESTEROL. WE ALSO LOOKED AT MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING INCLUDING CHANGES IN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT AND PERCEIVED STRESS. FORTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS WITH ELEVATED FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE IN BANGALORE, INDIA WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 21) OR A WALKING CONTROL (N = 20). PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO EITHER ATTEND YOGA CLASSES OR COMPLETE MONITORED WALKING 3-6 DAYS PER WEEK FOR EIGHT WEEKS. RANDOMIZATION AND ALLOCATION WAS PERFORMED USING COMPUTER-GENERATED RANDOM NUMBERS AND GROUP ASSIGNMENTS DELIVERED IN SEALED, OPAQUE ENVELOPES GENERATED BY OFF-SITE STUDY STAFF. DATA WERE ANALYZED BASED ON INTENTION TO TREAT. RESULTS: THIS STUDY WAS FEASIBLE IN TERMS OF RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND ADHERENCE. IN ADDITION, YOGA PARTICIPANTS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN WEIGHT, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND BMI VERSUS CONTROL (WEIGHT -0.8 +/- 2.1 VS. 1.4 +/- 3.6, P = 0.02; WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE -4.2 +/- 4.8 VS. 0.7 +/- 4.2, P < 0.01; BMI -0.2 +/- 0.8 VS. 0.6 +/- 1.6, P = 0.05). THERE WERE NO BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES IN FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE, INSULIN RESISTANCE OR ANY OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO DIABETES RISK OR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, NEGATIVE AFFECT AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN BOTH THE YOGA INTERVENTION AND WALKING CONTROL OVER THE COURSE OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: AMONG INDIANS WITH ELEVATED FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, WE FOUND THAT PARTICIPATION IN AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND RESULTED IN GREATER WEIGHT LOSS AND REDUCTION IN WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WHEN COMPARED TO A WALKING CONTROL. YOGA OFFERS A PROMISING LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR DECREASING WEIGHT-RELATED TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK FACTORS AND POTENTIALLY INCREASING PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIED NCT00090506. 2014 13 679 42 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 2734 35 YOGA PARTICIPATION ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN DIETARY PATTERNS AND STRESS: A PILOT STUDY IN STRESSED ADULTS WITH POOR DIET. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: STRESS CONTRIBUTES TO DIETARY PATTERNS THAT IMPEDE HEALTH. YOGA IS AN INTEGRATIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT APPROACH ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED DIETARY PATTERNS IN BURGEONING RESEARCH. YET, NO RESEARCH HAS EXAMINED CHANGE IN DIETARY PATTERNS, BODY MASS INDEX (BMI), AND STRESS DURING A YOGA INTERVENTION AMONG STRESSED ADULTS WITH POOR DIET. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OBJECTIVELY-MEASURED BMI AND A BATTERY OF SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES WERE COLLECTED AT FOUR TIME POINTS DURING AND FOLLOWING A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 78, 71% WOMEN, MEAN BMI = 25.69 KG/M(2)+/-4.59) - PRE-TREATMENT (T1), MID-TREATMENT (6 WEEKS; T2), POST-TREATMENT (12 WEEKS; T3), AND AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (24 WEEKS; T4). RESULTS: T1 TO T3 FRUIT AND VEGETABLE INTAKE, BMI, AND STRESS SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINED IN THE OVERALL SAMPLE. REDUCTION IN VEGETABLE INTAKE WAS NO LONGER SIGNIFICANT AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR REDUCTIONS IN CALORIC INTAKE, AND REDUCTION IN CALORIC INTAKE REMAINED SIGNIFICANT AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR REDUCTIONS IN STRESS. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS MAY BE INTERPRETED AS YOGA EITHER ENCOURAGING OR ADVERSELY IMPACTING HEALTHY DIETARY PATTERNS (I.E., MINIMIZING LIKELIHOOD OF FUTURE WEIGHT GAIN VS. DECREASING VEGETABLE INTAKE AND OVERALL CALORIC INTAKE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY NOT NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT, RESPECTIVELY). CONTINUED RESEARCH IS WARRANTED, UTILIZING CAUSAL DESIGNS. 2021 15 2816 53 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 16 938 51 EFFECTS OF 1-YEAR YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS) IS A CLUSTERING OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES MELLITUS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS APPLIED TO PEOPLE WITH METS HAS CONSIDERABLE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON DISEASE PREVENTIVE OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF 1-YEAR OF YOGA EXERCISE ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS INCLUDING CENTRAL OBESITY, HYPERTENSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA AND HYPERGLYCEMIA IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER HONG KONG CHINESE ADULTS WITH METS. METHODS: ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH METS USING NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL EDUCATION PROGRAM CRITERIA (N = 182; MEAN +/- SD AGE = 56 +/- 9.1) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 1-YEAR YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR CONTROL GROUP. SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE, TRIGLYCERIDES, AND HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL WERE EXAMINED AT BASELINE, MIDWAY, AND ON COMPLETION OF THE STUDY. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL AND CALORIC INTAKE WERE ASSESSED AND INCLUDED IN THE COVARIATE ANALYSES. RESULTS: A REDUCTION OF THE NUMBER OF DIAGNOSTIC COMPONENTS FOR METS WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE YOGA INTERVENTION. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE 1-YEAR YOGA INTERVENTION. A TREND TOWARDS A DECREASE IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE WAS OBSERVED FOLLOWING YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA EXERCISE IMPROVES THE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS INCLUDING CENTRAL OBESITY AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS WITH METS. THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT THE COMPLEMENTARY BENEFICIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN MANAGING METS. 2015 17 105 33 A PILOT FEASIBILITY STUDY OF WHOLE-SYSTEMS AYURVEDIC MEDICINE AND YOGA THERAPY FOR WEIGHT LOSS. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP AND TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF A WHOLE-SYSTEMS LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR OBESITY TREATMENT BASED ON THE PRACTICES OF AYURVEDIC MEDICINE/ YOGA THERAPY. DESIGN: A PRE-POST WEIGHT LOSS INTERVENTION PILOT STUDY USING CONVENTIONAL AND AYURVEDIC DIAGNOSIS INCLUSION CRITERIA, TAILORED TREATMENT WITHIN A STANDARDIZED TREATMENT ALGORITHM, AND STANDARDIZED DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS FOR COLLECTING AYURVEDIC OUTCOMES. PARTICIPANTS: A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF OVERWEIGHT/OBESE ADULT COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM TUCSON, ARIZONA INTERESTED IN A "HOLISTIC WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM" AND MEETING PREDETERMINED INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. INTERVENTION: A COMPREHENSIVE DIET, ACTIVITY, AND LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAM BASED ON PRINCIPLES OF AYURVEDIC MEDICINE/YOGA THERAPY WITH SIGNIFICANT SELF-MONITORING OF LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS. THE 3-MONTH PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO CHANGE EATING AND ACTIVITY PATTERNS AND TO IMPROVE SELF-EFFICACY, QUALITY OF LIFE, WELL-BEING, VITALITY, AND SELF-AWARENESS AROUND FOOD CHOICES, STRESS MANAGEMENT, AND BARRIERS TO WEIGHT LOSS. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: CHANGES IN BODY WEIGHT, BODY MASS INDEX; BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, FAT/LEAN MASS, WAIST/HIP CIRCUMFERENCE AND RATIO, AND BLOOD PRESSURE. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: DIET AND EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY SCALES; PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE; VISUAL ANALOG SCALES (VAS) OF ENERGY, APPETITE, STRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, WELL-BEING, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION AT ALL TIME POINTS. RESULTS: TWENTY-TWO ADULTS ATTENDED AN IN-PERSON AYURVEDIC SCREENING; 17 INITIATED THE INTERVENTION, AND 12 COMPLETED THE 3-MONTH INTERVENTION. TWELVE COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP AT 6 MONTHS AND 11 COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP AT 9 MONTHS. MEAN WEIGHT LOSS AT 3 MONTHS WAS 3.54 KG (SD 4.76); 6 MONTHS: 4.63 KG, (SD 6.23) AND 9 MONTHS: 5.9 KG (SD 8.52). SELF-REPORT OF PROGRAM SATISFACTION WAS MORE THAN 90% AT ALL TIME POINTS. CONCLUSIONS: AN AYURVEDA-/YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAM IS AN ACCEPTABLE AND FEASIBLE APPROACH TO WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. DATA COLLECTION, INCLUDING SELF-MONITORING AND CONVENTIONAL AND AYURVEDIC OUTCOMES, DID NOT UNDULY BURDEN PARTICIPANTS, WITH ATTRITION SIMILAR TO THAT OF OTHER WEIGHT LOSS STUDIES. 2014 18 2691 44 YOGA IN WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITYA RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: ABDOMINAL OBESITY IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND OTHER ANTHROPOMETRIC AND SELF-REPORTED VARIABLES IN WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITY. METHODS: 60 WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITY (WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE >/= 88 CM; BODY-MASS INDEX [BMI] >/= 25) WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED IN A 2:1 RATIO TO EITHER A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 40) OR A WAITING LIST (N = 20). THE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WAS THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT. SECONDARY (EXPLORATORY) ENDPOINTS INCLUDED THE WAIST/HIP RATIO, BODY WEIGHT, BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BODY MUSCLE MASS PERCENTAGE, BLOOD PRESSURE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, SELF-ESTEEM, SUBJECTIVE STRESS, BODY AWARENESS, AND BODY RESPONSIVENESS, AND THE SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION. THE PERSONS ASSESSING THE OUTCOMES WERE BLINDED TO THE GROUP TO WHICH THE PATIENTS BELONGED. RESULTS: THE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A MEAN OF 30.2+/-9.2 (MAXIMUM, 42) HOURS OF SUPERVISED YOGA PRACTICE. THEIR ABDOMINAL CIRCUM - FERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN COMPARISON TO THE PARTICIPANTS ON THE WAITING LIST, WITH AN INTERGROUP DIFFERENCE OF -3.8 CM (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [-6.1; -1,.5]; P = 0.001). THERE WERE FURTHER, MODERATE INTERGROUP DIFFERENCES IN THE WAIST/HIP RATIO, BODY WEIGHT, BMI, BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, BODY MUSCLE MASS PERCENTAGE, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, SELF-ESTEEM, SUBJECTIVE STRESS, BODY AWARENESS, AND TRUST IN BODILY SENSATIONS (ALL P<0.05). THERE WERE NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. NONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS EMBARKED ON A LOW-CALORIE DIET WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDY. CONCLUSION: THE 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HAD MODERATELY STRONG POSITIVE EFFECTS ON ANTHROPOMETRIC AND SELF-REPORTED VARIABLES IN WOMEN WITH ABDOMINAL OBESITY. YOGA IS SAFE IN THIS POPULATION AND CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS A TECHNIQUE FOR COMBATING ABDOMINAL OBESITY IN WOMEN. 2016 19 1340 33 HOW IS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA RELATED TO WEIGHT STATUS? POPULATION-BASED FINDINGS FROM PROJECT EAT-IV. BACKGROUND: YOGA MAY PROVIDE A STRATEGY FOR HEALTHY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IN YOUNG ADULTS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG ADULTS' YOGA PRACTICE AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH CHANGES IN BODY MASS INDEX. METHODS: SURVEYS WERE COMPLETED BY 1830 YOUNG ADULTS (31.1 +/- 1.6 Y) PARTICIPATING IN PROJECT EAT-IV. CROSS-SECTIONAL AND 5-YEAR LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED STRATIFIED BY INITIAL WEIGHT STATUS. RESULTS: TWO-THIRDS (66.5%) OF NONOVERWEIGHT WOMEN AND 48.9% OF OVERWEIGHT WOMEN REPORTED EVER DOING YOGA, WHILE 27.2% OF NONOVERWEIGHT WOMEN AND 16.4% OF OVERWEIGHT WOMEN PRACTICED REGULARLY (>/=30 MIN/WK). FEWER MEN PRACTICED YOGA. AMONG YOUNG ADULTS PRACTICING REGULARLY (N = 294), DIFFERENCES WERE IDENTIFIED IN INTENSITY, TYPE, AND LOCATION OF YOGA PRACTICE ACROSS WEIGHT STATUS. YOUNG ADULTS WHO WERE OVERWEIGHT AND PRACTICED YOGA REGULARLY SHOWED A NONSIGNIFICANT 5-YEAR DECREASE IN THEIR BODY MASS INDEX (-0.60 KG/M(2); P = .49), WHEREAS THOSE NOT PRACTICING REGULARLY HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THEIR BODY MASS INDEX (+1.37 KG/M(2); P < .01). FREQUENCY OF YOGA WAS INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH WEIGHT GAIN AMONG BOTH OVERWEIGHT AND NONOVERWEIGHT YOUNG ADULTS PRACTICING YOGA REGULARLY. CONCLUSIONS: YOUNG ADULTS OF DIFFERENT BODY SIZES PRACTICE YOGA. YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LESS WEIGHT GAIN OVER TIME, PARTICULARLY IN OVERWEIGHT YOUNG ADULTS. PRACTICING YOGA ON A REGULAR BASIS MAY HELP WITH WEIGHT GAIN PREVENTION. 2017 20 39 42 A BRIEF BUT COMPREHENSIVE LIFESTYLE EDUCATION PROGRAM BASED ON YOGA REDUCES RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND DIABETES MELLITUS. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO STUDY THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT OF A BRIEF LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION BASED ON YOGA ON SOME OF THE BIOCHEMICAL INDICATORS OF RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND DIABETES MELLITUS. DESIGN: THE VARIABLES OF INTEREST WERE MEASURED AT THE BEGINNING (DAY 1) AND END (DAY 10) OF THE INTERVENTION USING A PRE-POST DESIGN. SETTING: THE STUDY IS THE RESULT OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH CARRIED OUT IN OUR INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC (IHC). THE IHC IS AN OUTPATIENT FACILITY WHICH CONDUCTS 8-DAY LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION PROGRAMS BASED ON YOGA FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASE. A NEW COURSE BEGINS EVERY ALTERNATE WEEK OF THE YEAR. SUBJECTS: THE STUDY IS BASED ON DATA COLLECTED ON 98 SUBJECTS (67 MALE, 31 FEMALE), AGES 20-74 YEARS, WHO ATTENDED ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS. THE SUBJECTS WERE A HETEROGENEOUS GROUP OF PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, DIABETES MELLITUS, AND A VARIETY OF OTHER ILLNESSES. INTERVENTION: THE INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF ASANAS (POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, GROUP SUPPORT, INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE, LECTURES AND FILMS ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF YOGA AND THE PLACE OF YOGA IN DAILY LIFE, MEDITATION, STRESS MANAGEMENT, NUTRITION, AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ILLNESS. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE AND SERUM LIPOPROTEIN PROFILE. THESE VARIABLES WERE DETERMINED IN FASTING BLOOD SAMPLES, TAKEN ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY OF THE COURSE. RESULTS: FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE, SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL) CHOLESTEROL, VERY- LDL CHOLESTEROL, THE RATIO OF TOTAL CHOLESTEROL TO HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL) CHOLESTEROL, AND TOTAL TRIGLYCERIDES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER, AND HDL CHOLESTEROL SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER, ON THE LAST DAY OF THE COURSE COMPARED TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE COURSE. THE CHANGES WERE MORE MARKED IN SUBJECTS WITH HYPERGLYCEMIA OR HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA. CONCLUSIONS: THE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT A SHORT LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION AND STRESS MANAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM LEADS TO FAVORABLE METABOLIC EFFECTS WITHIN A PERIOD OF 9 DAYS. 2005