Yoga as a Preventive Intervention for Cardiovascular Diseases and Associated Comorbidities: Open-Label Single Arm Study.

Vinod Bhatt, Preety Maanju, Kulsajan Singh Bhatia, Viraaj Pannu, Vanita Gupta, Neeru Malik, Rakesh Malik, Raman Kumar, Ravneet Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Ashish Bhalla, Manju Mohanty, Gurmeet Singh, Suresh Kumar Sharma, Madhava Sai Sivapuram, Deepali Mathur, Dibbendu Khanra, Akshay Anand, Atul Kumar Goyal, Indranill Basu-Ray, Natasha Sayal, Ariana Vora, Sridhar Bammidi, Rahul Tyagi, Shweta Modgil, Parul Bali, Paramvir Kaur, Kaushal Sharma, Deepak Kumar Pal, Harshita Arvind, Khushboo Jindal, Vincy Garg, Bandu Matyal, Neha Thakur, Amit Chhikara

Journal: Frontiers in public health 2022;10():843134

PMID: 35769774

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Plain Language Summary

Cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of mortality, is on the rise. Inactivity and poor dietary habits can contribute to fat accumulation, increasing cardiovascular disease risk. Yoga is a cost-effective physical activity that may reduce lipid levels. In addition, the practice of yoga may help manage stress, another contributing factor. In this open-label study, AYUSH yoga for 30 days for one hour per day was assessed to improve dyslipidaemia among healthy, comorbid, and trainer participants. The healthy-naive group's cholesterol profile improved significantly compared to the diseased group. Experienced trainers' lipid profiles differed significantly from those of yoga-naive volunteers. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were significantly lower than baseline. A significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and BMI was observed among yoga-naive and healthy participants. In addition, the trainer group had significantly lower LDL and TC/HDL ratios and higher HDL levels. Compared to the comorbid yoga group, the healthy yoga group showed significant differences in physiological parameters such as systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and weight after a month of practice, demonstrating that yoga was more effective in healthy participants. These results can help healthcare professionals understand yoga's preventative effects on cardiovascular disease. However, as the current evidence is limited, more robust studies are needed.

Abstract

AIM

Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) is a standardized yoga protocol authored by experts from all over the world under the aegis of the Ministry of AYUSH, Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homeopathy (AYUSH). The potential of CYP can be determined as a cost-effective lifestyle modification to prevent the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

METHODS

In this prospective trial, we compared the effect of CYP at baseline and after 1 month. A total of 374 yoga-naïve participants performed CYP under the supervision of experienced trainers. Physiological [body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, percent oxygen saturation], biochemical (fasting blood glucose and lipid profile), and neurocognitive parameters were measured before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

At day 30 of yoga practice, serum levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were found significantly improved as compared to the baseline levels observed at the time of enrollment. Similarly, the lipid profile was also obtained from experienced trainers and found to be significantly different from those of yoga-naïve volunteers. When the intervention was compared between the healthy yoga-naïve participants with yoga-naïve participants suffering from medical issues, it was found that cholesterol profile improved significantly in the healthy-naive group as compared to the diseased group (hypertension, diabetes, underwent surgery, and CVD).

CONCLUSION

These results highlight the need for further research to better understand the effects of yoga on the primary prevention of CVD.

Copyright © 2022 Sharma, Basu-Ray, Sayal, Vora, Bammidi, Tyagi, Modgil, Bali, Kaur, Goyal, Pal, Arvind, Jindal, Garg, Matyal, Thakur, Chhikara, Kaur, Maanju, Bhatia, Pannu, Gupta, Malik, Malik, Kumar, Kaur, Bhatt, Bhalla, Mohanty, Singh, Sharma, Sivapuram, Mathur, Khanra and Anand.

Address: Neuroscience Research Lab, Department of Neurology, Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.; Centre for Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Cardiology, St. Francis Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States.; Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Virbhadra Marg, Rishikesh, India.; Department of Cardiology, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Union Territory (SVYASA), Bengaluru, India.; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.; Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Otolaryngology, Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Bioinformatics, Jaypee University, Shimla, India.; Department of Physical Education, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.; Government Medical College, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Health, UT, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Physical Education, Dev Samaj College of Education, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Physical Education and Sports, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.; Yoga Federation of India, Panchkula, India.; Department of Internal Medicine, Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Neurosurgery, Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.; Department of Statistics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.; Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation, Vijayawada, India.; School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India.

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.843134