Effects of a 12-week Home-based Yoga on Bone and Cardiovascular Health

University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Status: Completed

Conditions: Osteoporosis; Cardiovascular Risk Factor

Treatments: Behavioral: Yoga group

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04353700

17-183-KIM-XPD

Details and patient eligibility

About

While effects of specific exercise interventions on bone and CVD in postmenopausal women have been demonstrated and evaluated, the effects of randomized controlled exercise interventions, particularly in middle-aged premenopausal women are sparse. Therefore, it is imperative to examine the relation between behavioral interventions and bone and cardiovascular outcomes in premenopausal women as this understudied group is at high risk for the initial stages of bone loss and cardiovascular disease development.

Full description

Presently, it is not clear whether the intensity of Yoga interventions is high enough to induce positive effects on bone and cardiovascular health in a healthy population. For example, Hagins et al. (2007) reported that the metabolic costs of Hatha Yoga, averaged across the entire session, represent low levels of physical activity (walking). On the other hand, Ashtanga Yoga, or power Yoga, is performed at a higher intensity than Hatha Yoga and has been shown to elicit significantly higher heart rates than either Hatha or gentle Yoga (Cowen and Adams, 2007). Sun Salutations (SS) are an example of an Ashtanga Yoga sequence, where yoga postures are performed dynamically with combinations of forward and backward bending poses (Omkar et al., 2011). A previous 8-month yoga intervention found that regular long-term Ashtanga yoga had a small positive effect on bone formation in premenopausal women. Although Yoga has the potential to be an alternative physical activity to improve bone health and arterial stiffness, there is a lack of high-quality evidence for this type of intervention. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of a 12-week home-based dynamic yoga intervention designed to improve bone metabolism and arterial stiffness in healthy premenopausal women.

Enrollment: 35 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 30 to 48 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Participants were healthy premenopausal women volunteers between the ages of 30 and 48 years.
• Participants were free of chronic back or joint problems, cardiovascular disease, non-smokers, not pregnant, not taking antihypertensive drugs or any medication that affects bone density.
• Participants didn't have regularly participated in a weight training program and yoga exercise at least 12 months prior to the study.
• Participants were medically stable, ambulatory, and capable of training.

Exclusion criteria

• Individual who were outside of the 30-48 years age range and who exceed the weight limit of the DXA (300 pounds).
• Individuals who did not have the regular menstrual cycles.
• Pregnancy or the possibility of becoming pregnant during the intervention period
• Individuals who were taking medications known to affect bone metabolism such as steroid hormones, calcitonin, or corticosteroids.
• Any persons with physical and mental disabilities preventing them from being trained, including orthopedic or arthritic problems, were not allowed to participate.
• Individuals whose radiation exposure from medical and/or research tests in the previous year exceeds the recommended regulator limit.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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35 participants in 2 patient groups

Yoga group

Active Comparator group

Description:

A certified yoga instructor led the supervised yoga session. An exercise physiologist taught how to record your Rating of Perceived Exertion to monitor their exercise intensity during the in-home yoga intervention. During the in-home yoga intervention, participants performed 30 to 50 minutes of yoga postures three to five times a week for 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Yoga group

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

If participants were in a CON group, they did not receive the yoga intervention. Instead, they were encouraged to maintain a normal daily lifestyle monitored by the BPAQ at one-month intervals during the 12-week intervention.