Yoga addition to regular exercise improves BP and heart rate in hypertension patients: Study

Structured yoga practices can be a healthier addition to aerobic exercise than muscle stretching for managing hypertension and cardiovascular disease. 

Canada: In hypertension patients, incorporating yoga in a 3-month exercise training program is linked with a greater improvement in heart rate and blood pressure and Reynolds Risk Score than stretching, according to a three-month pilot study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 

Adding yoga to a regular exercise training regimen supports cardiovascular health and well-being and is more effective than stretching exercises. Yoga incorporation reduced resting heart rate and systolic blood pressure and improved 10-year cardiovascular risk.

Yoga is part of spiritual and exercise practices for millions of people worldwide. With yoga practice becoming a widely accepted form of exercise, the body of yoga research is growing. It is a multifaceted lifestyle activity that can positively enhance cardiovascular health and well-being. Physical exercises such as stretching and the physical components of yoga practices have similarities but also important differences.

"The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether the addition of yoga to a regular exercise training regimen reduces cardiovascular risk," explained lead investigator Paul Poirier, MD, PhD, Quebec Heart and Lung Institute-Laval University, and Faculty of Pharmacy, Laval University, Quebec, Canada.

"While there is some evidence that yoga interventions and exercise have equal and/or superior cardiovascular outcomes, there is considerable variability in yoga types, components, frequency, session length, duration, and intensity. We sought to apply a rigorous scientific approach to identify cardiovascular risk factors for which yoga is beneficial for at-risk patients and ways it could be applied in a healthcare setting such as a primary prevention program."

Investigators recruited 60 individuals with previously diagnosed high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome for an exercise training program. Over the 3-month intervention regimen, participants were divided into 2 groups, which performed 15 minutes of either structured yoga or stretching in addition to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise training five times weekly. Blood pressure, anthropometry, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glucose and lipids levels, and the Framingham and Reynolds Risk Scores were measured. At baseline, there was no difference between groups in age, sex, smoking rates, body mass index (BMI), resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, resting heart rate and pulse pressure.

After 3 months, there was a decrease in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate in both groups. However, systolic blood pressure was reduced by 10 mmHg with yoga vs 4 mmHg with stretching. The yoga approach also reduced resting heart rate and 10-year cardiovascular risk assessed using Reynold's Risk score.

While yoga has been shown to benefit hypertensive patients, the exact mechanism underlying this positive effect is not fully understood. This pilot randomized study shows that its benefits cannot be simply attributed to stretching alone.

"This study provides evidence for an additional non-pharmacologic therapy option for cardiovascular risk reduction and blood pressure control in patients with high blood pressure in the setting of a primary prevention exercise program," noted Dr. Poirier. "As observed in several studies, we recommend that patients try to find exercise and stress relief for managing hypertension and cardiovascular disease in whatever form they find most appealing. Our study shows that structured yoga practices can be a healthier addition to aerobic exercise than simply muscle stretching."

Reference:

Ashok Pandey, Avinash Pandey, A. Shekhar Pandey, Alis Bonsignore, Audrey Auclair, Paul Poirier, Published:December 07, 2022. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2022.09.019