A systematic review and meta-analysis published in PLOS Global Public Health examined the effects of yoga on cardiometabolic health in adults with high body mass index (BMI).
Key Findings
The meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials (2,689 participants) from Asia, the US, Europe, and Australia found:
- Glucose metabolism: Yoga modestly improved HbA1c and HOMA-IR (insulin resistance markers) but had no significant effect on fasting or postprandial glucose.
- Lipid profile: Yoga reduced VLDL and triglycerides and increased HDL, predominantly in Asian populations. No significant changes in total cholesterol or LDL were observed.
- Blood pressure: Yoga reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure in Asian participants; no significant effect was seen in non-Asian groups.
- Inflammation: Yoga reduced several pro-inflammatory markers and increased the anti-inflammatory marker IL-10. Evidence certainty for inflammation and redox outcomes was low to very low.
Most improvements were modest and often below clinically meaningful thresholds.
Study Characteristics
- Majority of studies conducted in India, with others from Indonesia, Korea, the US, Germany, and Australia.
- Most studies included participants whose average BMI met overweight/obesity criteria, but few explicitly recruited individuals with high BMI.
- Blood pressure outcomes mainly reported in participants with prehypertension.
- High risk of bias in many studies due to unclear randomization, baseline imbalances, missing data, and missing protocols.
Dosage Effects
Stronger effects were observed in studies with low risk of bias and higher-dose yoga (≥12 weeks, 60-minute sessions, ≥3 times per week), particularly for lipids and blood pressure in Asian populations.
Limitations
The authors noted substantial variability across studies, limited data for subgroup analyses, and low certainty of evidence for inflammation and redox outcomes.
Implications
The findings suggest yoga may serve as a complementary therapy for cardiometabolic health in overweight or obese adults, but further research is needed to clarify optimal parameters and strengthen evidence for glucose, inflammation, and redox outcomes.