Impact of mindfulness based stress reduction on sperm DNA damage

Yoga and Lifestyle Changes: A Path to Improved Fertility - A Narrative Review

Infertility, a widespread medical condition affecting numerous couples globally, persists as a challenge despite advances in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), often burdened by financial, physical, and emotional strains. Complementary and alternative approaches, notably yoga, have garnered attention for potentially enhancing fertility outcomes. Studies reveal yoga's influence on factors contributing to infertility, including reduced oxidative stress (OS) and oxidative DNA damage (ODD). OS, linked to mutagenic base formation, higher malondialdehyde levels, abnormal methylation, and altered gene expression, can impair sperm genome integrity. Yoga's efficacy is evident in lowering OS, positively affecting signal transmission, gene expression, and physiological systems. Furthermore, yoga has a positive impact on addressing the dysregulation of apoptosis, resulting in improved processes such as spermatogenesis, sperm maturation, and motility, while also reducing DNA fragmentation. OS correlates with genome-wide hypomethylation, telomere shortening, and mitochondrial dysfunction, contributing to genome instability. Yoga and meditation significantly reduce OS and ODD, ensuring proper reactive oxygen levels and preserving physiological systems. The review explores potential mechanisms underlying yoga's positive impact on infertility, including enhanced blood flow, reduced inflammation, relaxation response, and modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Furthermore, a comprehensive review of the literature reveals substantial evidence supporting the positive effects of yoga on infertility factors. These include oxidative stress (OS), oxidative DNA damage (ODD), epigenetic changes, hormonal balance, ovarian function, menstrual irregularities, and stress reduction. In summary, yoga emerges as a promising adjunctive therapy for infertility, demonstrating the potential to mitigate key factors influencing reproductive success. Although preliminary evidence indicates the positive effects of yoga on infertility, further clinical research is imperative to define specific benefits, molecular mechanisms associated, optimal protocols, and long-term effects in infertility treatment plans.

Associations of meditation with telomere dynamics: a case-control study in healthy adults

Introduction

Telomeres are protective end caps of chromosomes which naturally shorten with each cell division and thus with age. Short telomeres have been associated with many age-related diseases. Meditation has come to the fore as a mind-body practice which could influence the telomere dynamics underlying these phenomena. We previously reported meditation to be associated with higher telomerase levels, mindfulness and quality of life. Here, reporting on the same study population, we describe associations between long-term meditation and telomere length (TL), expression of hTERT and hTR genes and methylation of the promoter region of hTERT gene.

Methods

Thirty healthy meditators and matched non-meditators were recruited. TL was measured using quantitative PCR, gene expression was assessed using reverse transcriptase PCR, and methylation level was quantified by bisulfite-specific PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Comparisons between meditators and controls were carried out using t-tests, while Pearson correlation was used to identify correlations, and regression was used to identify predictors.

Results

Males comprised 63.4% of each group with an average age of 43 years. On average, they had meditated daily for 5.82 h (±3.45) for 6.8 years (±3.27). Meditators had longer relative TLs (p = 0.020), and TL decreased with age (p < 0.001) but was not associated with other socio-demographic variables. Regression analysis showed that age (p < 0.001) and duration of meditation (p = 0.003) significantly predicted TL. The meditators showed higher relative expression of hTERT (p = 0.020) and hTR (p = 0.029) genes while the methylation level of the promoter region of hTERT gene was significantly lower when compared to non-meditators (p < 0.001). Negative correlations were identified between the methylation level of the promoter region of hTERT gene and the expression of the hTERT gene (p = 0.001) and duration of meditation (p = 0.001).

Conclusion

The findings suggest that meditation as a lifestyle practice has multi-level beneficial effects on telomere dynamics with potential to promote healthy aging.

Yoga improves mitochondrial health and reduces severity of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Oxidative stress (OS) and mitochondrial alterations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Various environmental triggers like air pollutants, smoking, unhealthy social habits and sedentary lifestyle induce OS, which may compromise mitochondrial integrity. This trial was designed to explore the effect of 8-weeks yoga practice on mitochondrial health and disease severity in an active RA group compared with a usual-care control group.

METHODS

A total of 70 subjects were randomized into two groups: yoga group and non-yoga group. Mitochondrial health was assessed by calculation of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN), OS markers, mitochondrial activity, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), circadian rhythm markers and transcripts associated with mitochondrial integrity: AMPK, TIMP-1, KLOTHO, SIRT-1, and TFAM. Parameters of disease activity and disability quotient were also assessed by disease activity score - erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and health assessment questionnaire-disability index (HAQ-DI), respectively.

RESULTS

In yoga group, there was a significant upregulation of mtDNA-CN, mitochondrial activity markers, ΔΨm, and transcripts that maintain mitochondrial integrity after 8-weeks of yoga. There was optimization of OS markers, and circadian rhythm markers post 8-weeks practice of yoga. Yoga group participants showed significant improvements in DAS28-ESR (p < 0.05) and HAQ-DI (p < 0.05) over the non-yoga group.

CONCLUSION

Adoption of yoga by RA patients holds the key to enhance mitochondrial health, improve circadian rhythm markers, OS marker regulation, upregulation of transcripts that maintain mitochondrial integrity, reduce disease activity and its associated consequences on health outcome and hence can be beneficial as an adjunct therapy.