Promising data was published recently in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology.

Scientists claim that yoga is just as good at protecting against cardiovascular disease as traditional exercises such as walking or cycling..

Yoga is an ancient Indian practice for mind and body training that includes physical, mental and spiritual elements..

Today it is a popular set of exercises based on asanas (postures) that help us better control our body.. The effectiveness of yoga as a means to reduce cardiovascular risk has been proven in numerous scientific studies..

Scientists from the United States and the Netherlands decided to conduct a systematic review that included 37 previous randomized controlled trials.. The total number of participants was 2768 people. The purpose of this analysis was to compare the effectiveness of yoga and traditional physical exercises, which are now recommended for strengthening the cardiovascular system..

The results showed that people who practice yoga have a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and this effect is comparable to the preventive effect of traditional sports, including race walking..

The results of regular yoga practice compared to no exercise:.

•Participant's body weight is reduced by an average of 2.32 kg.

•Body mass index decreases by an average of 0.77 kg/m2.

• Systolic blood pressure decreases by an average of 5.21 mm. rt. st.

•Diastolic blood pressure decreases by an average of 4.90 mm. rt. st.

•Low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) levels are reduced by 12.14 mg/dl.

• High-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) levels increased by 3.20 mg/dl.

•Total cholesterol is reduced by an average of 18.48 mg/dl.

•Heart rate decreases by 5.27 bpm. However, scientists did not find an improvement in parameters associated with diabetes mellitus (glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting sugar).

Thus, yoga classes lead to the elimination of a number of risk factors for cardiovascular events, including high blood pressure and lipid profile disorders.. Scientists say yoga is even more effective when combined with a doctor's prescription of cholesterol-lowering (statins) and antihypertensive drugs..

Patients who cannot perform aerobic exercise should practice yoga.

“This discovery is very important because now there is an alternative option for people who are not able to do traditional aerobic exercise – yoga.. It benefits the cardiovascular system, which is comparable to activities such as cycling or walking,” say the researchers..

Although research results compare yoga and traditional exercise, scientists note that the benefits of yoga may be associated with a completely different mechanism of action - stress reduction, " Aerobic exercises act differently - they train the cardiovascular system and accustom it to stress..

Study lead author Professor Myriam Hunink, who works for the Erasmus University Medical Center (Netherlands) and Harvard School of Public Health (USA), says:. Also, the dependence of the effect of yoga on the intensity of classes and the price-benefit ratio of this practice compared to traditional exercises or drug treatment have not been studied.. However, our results tell us that yoga may be a very useful strategy for controlling (cardiovascular) risk.”.

The study authors support the use of yoga in patients with pre-existing heart disease, poor exercise tolerance, the elderly, or those with musculoskeletal disorders..

“Yoga is both a cheap and effective prevention strategy that does not require expensive sports equipment and technology, has relatively high patient compliance, and is accessible to a huge segment of the population,” the authors concluded in their paper..

By the way, recently the online medical publication MNT reported that people who perform only one yoga pose (side plank) for 90 seconds at least three times a day can significantly reduce the degree of spinal curvature in scoliosis in a few months..

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