Effect of Restorative Yoga vs. Stretching on Salivary Cortisol and Psychosocial Outcomes in Individuals with the Metabolic Syndrome: The PRYSMS Randomized Controlled Trial

The effect of yoga training on enhancement of Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels in female patients with multiple sclerosis

The effect of 8 weeks yoga training on cortisol and Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels in female patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is examined. Twenty four MS female patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 1 to 5.5 participated in this study as the subject. The participants were divided into control (n = 10) or training group (n = 14) randomly. Training group performed 90 min yoga training per session, 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Assessments include body composition measurement and blood sampling 48 h before first session and 48 h after the intervention. The results demonstrated that ACTH increased and cortisol decreased compared to the control group (P < 0.05); In conclusion, it seems that yoga training modulates ACTH level in concomitant with reduction in cortisol level in female patients with MS.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of yoga on weight-related outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Overweight and obesity are among the most important modifiable risk factors for chronic diseases and premature death. The aim of this review was to systematically assess and analyze the effects of yoga on weight-related outcomes.

METHODS

Medline/PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were screened through March 2015 for randomized controlled trials on yoga for weight-related outcomes in the general population or overweight/obese individuals. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool on the following domains: selection bias, performance bias, detection bias, attrition bias, reporting bias, and other bias.

RESULTS

Out of 445 records identified during literature search, 30 trials with a total of 2173 participants were included. No effects on weight, body mass index, body fat percentage or waist circumference were found. In studies with healthy adult participants an effect of yoga compared to usual care was found regarding waist/hip ratio (SMD=--1.00; 95% CI=--1.44, -0.55; p<0.001). In studies with overweight/obese participants only, effects relative to usual care were found for body mass index (SMD=-0.99; 95% CI=-1.67, -0.31; p=0.004). Effects however were not robust against selection bias; and publication bias could not be ruled out. No intervention-related adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite methodological drawbacks, yoga can be preliminarily considered a safe and effective intervention to reduce body mass index in overweight or obese individuals.