Yoga may be as good as other physical activities at improving heart health, researchers say today.
According to the study, yoga seems to be as effective as cycling or brisk walking.
Yoga is supposed to have benefits for the body and the mind – and researchers say it may help with stress reduction.
Researchers from the Netherlands and the USA analysed some 37 randomised control trials of the practice involving some 2,768 people.
Reporting in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, they say it is significant that yoga was found to be as effective as cycling.
Researcher Professor Myriam Hunink, from Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, said: "This finding is significant as individuals who cannot or prefer not to perform traditional aerobic exercise might still achieve similar benefits in risk reduction."
She added: "Also unclear are the dose-response relationship and the relative costs and benefits of yoga when compared to exercise or medication.
“However, these results indicate that yoga is potentially very useful and in my view worth pursuing as a risk improvement practice."
The findings were welcomed by the British Heart Foundation.
Maureen Talbot, from the Foundation, said: “Any physical activity that can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease developing should be encouraged, and the benefits of yoga on emotional health are well established.
“This study’s findings are promising, showing some improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
“The benefits could be due to working the muscles and breathing, which can bring more oxygen into the body, leading to lower blood pressure.”
The effectiveness of yoga in modifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Prevent Cardiol 16 December 2014; doi: 10.1177/2047487314562741
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