No significant difference was found between yoga and exercise .
Conclusions There is promising evidence of yoga on improving cardio-metabolic health .
Background Yoga , a popular mind-body practice , may produce changes in cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and metabolic syndrome risk factors .
Effects of an 8-month yoga intervention on arterial compliance and muscle strength in premenopausal women.
Previous studies have indicated that Yoga exercise has a positive effect on reducing blood pressure and heart rate . However , no r and omized controlled studies to date have investigated its effects on arterial compliance . The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-month Yoga intervention on arterial compliance and muscle strength in normal premenopausal women 35 - 50 years of age . Thirty-four women were r and omly assigned either to a Yoga exercise group ( YE , n = 16 ) or a control group ( CON , n = 18 ) . Participants in YE group performed 60 minutes of an Ashtanga Yoga series 2 times/week with one day between sessions for 8 months . Each Yoga session consisted of 15 minutes of warm-up exercises , 35 minutes of Ashtanga Yoga postures and 10 minutes of cool-down with relaxation ; and the session intensity was progressively increased during the 8 months . Participants in CON were encouraged to maintain their normal daily lifestyles monitored by the bone-specific physical activity question naire at 2 month intervals for 8 months . Arterial compliance ( pulse contour analysis ) and muscle strength ( 1 Repetition Maximum ) were assessed at baseline and after the intervention . Arterial compliance of the large and small arteries was not affected by the 8 month Yoga training ( p > 0.05 ) . Also , there were no significant ( p > 0.05 ) group , time , or group × time interaction effects for cardiovascular variables . YE group significantly ( p < 0.01 ) improved leg press muscle strength compared to CON ( 11.4 % vs. -6.5 % ) . Eight months of Ashtanga Yoga training was beneficial for improving leg press strength , but not arterial compliance in premenopausal women . Key pointsThe 8 month Yoga training did not affect arterial compliance of the large and small arteries . None of the cardiovascular variables were changed by the Yoga intervention . Isotonic muscle strength was not altered by the Yoga intervention , with the exception of leg press
No significant difference was found between yoga and exercise .
Conclusions There is promising evidence of yoga on improving cardio-metabolic health .
Background Yoga , a popular mind-body practice , may produce changes in cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and metabolic syndrome risk factors .