title: Hatha yoga and vascular function: results from cross-sectional and interventional studies.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hatha yoga on arterial elasticity and endothelial function. First, a cross-sectional study was performed to determine whether yoga practitioners would demonstrate greater arterial compliance and endothelium-dependent vasodilation than their sedentary peers. Second, an intervention study involving 13 sedentary middle-aged and older adults (51 ± 7 years) was performed to determine whether 12 weeks of hatha yoga would elicit increases in arterial compliance and endothelial function. In the cross-sectional study involving a total of 34 subjects, there were no group differences in body fatness, blood lipid and lipoprotein concentrations, carotid artery compliance or brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Hemoglobin A1c was lower in yoga practitioners than in sedentary adults (P < 0.05). Total cholesterol and hemoglobin A1c decreased after the intervention (P < 0.05) while carotid artery compliance and brachial artery FMD did not change. The results of both cross-sectional and interventional studies indicate that regular practice of hatha yoga is not associated with improvements in vascular functions.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA. stacy.d.hunter@gmail.com
authors.forename: Stacy D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tarumi
authors.forename: Mandeep S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dhindsa
authors.forename: Nantinee
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nualnim
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D001916:Brachial Artery; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D002339:Carotid Arteries; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004548:Elasticity; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*; D014664:Vasodilation; D015013:Yoga