Does practising yoga strengthen the hearts of heart failure patients? Study sheds light

According to research presented at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), yoga focused on breathing, meditation, and relaxation is linked with symptom improvement in patients with heart failure.

Heart Failure affects vast numbers of people – more than 64 million globally2 – and can have devastating impacts on quality of life, with patients feeling tired and breathless, and being unable to participate in their usual activities. While previous studies have shown the short-term benefits of yoga in patients with heart failure, this study provides new information about the long-term effects.

Yoga holds promise as an adjunctive therapy for heart failure patients owing to its multifaceted physiological and psychological benefits. Through its emphasis on controlled breathing, postures, and meditation, yoga can enhance autonomic nervous system regulation, improving cardiac function. Moreover, yoga's stress-reducing properties mitigate sympathetic overactivity and cortisol release, thereby lowering the adverse effects of chronic stress on cardiovascular health.

In the study, conducted at Kasturba Hospital in Manipal, India, researchers enrolled heart failure patients aged 30 to 70 who had undergone cardiac procedures within the past six months to one year and were on guideline-recommended medications. Out of 85 participants, 40 were assigned to the yoga group, while 45 were in the control group. The yoga group received training in pranayama, meditation, and relaxation techniques and practised at home once a week under supervision.

Researchers assessed heart structure and function at baseline, six months, and one year in both the yoga and control groups. Measurements included left ventricular ejection fraction and right ventricular function. Additionally, blood pressure, heart rate, body weight, body mass index, symptom burden, and functional capacity were evaluated using the New York Heart Association classification system.

The results revealed that compared to the control group, the yoga group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in all measurements at six months and one year relative to baseline.

“Patients who did yoga had healthier hearts and were more able to carry out ordinary activities such as walking and climbing stairs than those who only took medications. Patients with heart failure should speak to their doctor before starting yoga and should then receive training from an experienced instructor. Prescribed medications should be continued as before. Yoga may be unsuitable for heart failure patients with severe symptoms, who were excluded from our study,” said study author Dr. Ajit Singh of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.

Reference: Dr. Ajit Singh, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India; ‘Impact of yoga therapy on long-term outcomes in heart failure patients using functional and echocardiographic parameters’ ‘Chronic heart failure - treatment 16 Session’