Yoga classes have been linked to lower blood pressure
People who do yoga at least once a week have lower blood pressure levels on average than others. This conclusion was reached by American doctors, having analyzed the medical records of 10000 residents of Pennsylvania. In yoga enthusiasts, systolic pressure was on average 2.8 millimeters of mercury column lower, and diastolic - by 1.5 millimeters. The study is published in BMC Public Health.
People with high blood pressure are advised to exercise in moderation. A rough target is 30 minutes of aerobic activity per day. Non-exercising people should start exercising gradually and at a moderate load. At this stage, some of them choose yoga - regular exercise, according to the results of scientific studies, was effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders.
In the new work, American scientists led by Nadia M. Penrod (Nadia M. Penrod) from the University of Pennsylvania studied the medical records of 1355 yoga enthusiasts aged 18 to 79 years. They were compared to 8,682 people who did not practice yoga. The medics set out to understand how yoga practice affects the development of hypertension, so they analyzed participants' blood pressure data from 2006 to 2016.
The majority of people who practiced yoga were women (87.8 percent). The average age of the participants turned out to be 46 years old. More than half of the people practiced yoga once a week (62.3 percent). In the statistical analysis, the researchers adjusted for gender, age, comorbidities and taking antihypertensive medications.
People who practiced yoga had, on average, lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure than people who didn't: 2.8 millimeters of mercury column and 1.5 millimeters of mercury column, respectively.
Nevertheless, we cannot say with absolute certainty that it was the yoga practice that affected the participants' blood pressure. Perhaps such people are simply more health-conscious or eat better. In any case, doctors believe that yoga can be a good alternative to standard exercise, especially for beginners.