Yog(a): Medical benefits
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Type 2 diabetes
The Times of India, Jun 01 2016
Sushmi Dey
Yoga can be helpful in prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults, scientific reviews of over 25 trials conducted globally shows. Systematic reviews of trials conducted on Indians as well as Americans show yoga can help control blood sugar levels, improve the lipid profile and manage body weight, all of which can be very effective in preventing type 2 diabetes. The reviews were recently published in two international medical journals Elsevier and the Journal of Diabetes Research. “Findings suggest yogic practices may promote significant improvements in several indices of importance in DM2 (type 2 diabetes) management, including glycemic control, lipid levels and body composition,“ said a review published in Journal of Diabetes Research.
Analysis of data from these trials suggest that yoga may also lower oxidative stress and blood pressure, enhance pulmonary and autonomic function, mood, sleep and quality of life. With regular practice, yoga can also reduce medication use in adults with type 2 diabetes.
However, the reviews suggested because of the methodological limitations of existing studies, additional highquality investigations are required to confirm and furt her elucidate the potential benefits of yoga in diabetics.
Doctors say yoga can be considered as an add-on intervention for management of diabetes. However, currently it cannot replace moderate intensity aerobic exercises prescribed to diabetic patients as more scientific evidence is required.
“If ancient yogic practices (diet, yogic asanas, simple way of life) are performed, it will benefit any lifestyle disease. However, currently yoga has to pass through more rigorous scientific scrutiny before any definitive recommendations can be made regarding adding to mainline therapy ,“ said Dr Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes. The health ministry has also commissioned similar large-scale studies in India through S-VYASA, an Indian university for Yoga.
Yoga is a cardio if done fast enough
Gretchen Reynolds, Is yoga cardio? Yes, if you do it fast enough, Feb 10, 2017: The Times of India
Yoga offers some obvious benefits: stress reduction, muscular flexibility, an enhanced sense of well-being. But does it qualify as an aerobic workout?
Aerobic activity, characterised by an elevated heart rate and increase in the body's use of oxygen, is closely linked to improved health and prolonged life spans; current guidelines suggest that people get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week. Scant research has examined whether yoga is exercise under those guidelines, though. Now two new studies in Complementary Therapies in Medicine indicate that it can be, at least if done rapidly. The practice of yoga in the US typically consists of bodily poses interspersed with or followed by breathing exercises and meditation.The most famous movements are incorporated into the sun salutation (surya namaskar).
These can be among the most physically demanding segments. Yet according to a 2016 review of yoga research, the energy expended by those who move slowly during sun salutations generally compares to the demands of a stroll at approx 5kmph. Exercise scientists at the University of Miami wondered whether lesslanguid yoga would be more aerobically beneficial. They outfitted 22 healthy adult volunteers with masks and sensors that measured energy expenditure and muscular activity and had them complete as many sun salutations as possible in eight minutes.
Not surprisingly , about 48 calories on average were burnt during the eight-minute sessions, compared with 29 while doing the standard salutations. The salutations, particularly when done three times as fast, functioned as in tense interval training, says Joseph Signorile, a professor at the University of Miami and the senior author of the studies. Signorile acknowledges yoga's nonaerobic virtues. “We're not saying that you should ignore the meditative side,“ he says.
The guided contemplation of body provides significant psychological benefits. But the energy expended is about the same that you would spend taking a nap.
