Yoga Or Aerobic Exercise? Which Can Improve Heart Disease Risk Factors?

Highlights

Heart disease patients who practice yoga and aerobic exercise increase their chances of an improved life.
Exercise has a profound effect on risk factors for heart disease, especially BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol.
Heart disease patients involved in aerobic exercise and yoga showed a two-fold reduction in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and BMI.

Yoga combined with aerobic exercise reduced blood pressure levels, body mass index, and cholesterol levels in heart disease patients two times more than those who practice either yoga or aerobic exercise alone.

The risk of death and heart disease comorbidities can be reduced when medical management goes hand in hand with lifestyle changes such as exercise, yoga, changes in diet and habits such as smoking, alcohol use.

Practice Yoga To Improve Mind-Body Health
Yoga increases signals of a neuromodulator in the brain which improves learning, memory and reduces levels of inflammatory markers.

‘Heart disease patients who practice yoga in addition to aerobic exercise saw twice the reduction in blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels.’

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Combine Yoga With Aerobic Exercise

In an effort to find the association between Indian yoga, aerobic exercise and the risk of coronary artery disease in obese patients with type 2 diabetes, a team of researchers in American College of Cardiology conducted a trial.

Indian yoga is a combination of whole exercise of body, mind, and soul, and a common practice throughout India. Researchers in this study looked specifically at Indian yoga and aerobic training’s effect on the coronary risk factors for obese heart disease patients with type 2 diabetes.

Lifestyle Paths to Prevent Heart Disease
Heart disease can be of many types depending upon whether they involve the heart muscles or artery walls or heart beats. Bad lifestyle choices contribute to heart disease.

For the study, 750 patients with coronary heart disease were chosen and were randomized to 3 groups. One group of 225 patients participated in aerobic exercise, another group of 240 patients participated in Indian yoga, and the third group of 285 participated in both yoga and aerobic exercise. Each group did three, six-month sessions of yoga and/or aerobic exercise.

The aerobic exercise only and yoga only groups showed similar reductions in blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, weight, and waist circumference. However, the combined yoga and aerobic exercise group showed two times greater reduction compared to the other groups. They also showed significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction, diastolic function, and exercise capacity.

Diet, Lifestyle and Heart Disease
The correlation between diet, lifestyle and heart disease. The importance of balanced diet life style and exercise for controlling heart disease.

"Combined Indian yoga and aerobic exercise reduce mental, physical and vascular stress and can lead to decreased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity," said Sonal Tanwar, PhD, a scholar in preventative cardiology, and Naresh Sen, DM, PhD, a consultant cardiologist, both at HG SMS Hospital, Jaipur, India. "Heart disease patients could benefit from learning Indian yoga and making it a routine part of daily life."

Yoga For Health

Coronary Heart Disease - Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Tretment
In coronary heart disease, blood is unable to flow through blocked arteries. The main symptom is chest pain or angina. Treatment is with medications or surgery.

The art of practicing yoga helps in controlling an individual’s mind, body and soul. It brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve a peaceful body and mind; it helps manage stress and anxiety and keeps you relaxing.

Yoga influences the hypothalamus directly, the area of the brain that controls endocrine activity, and helps prevent heart attacks.
Yoga improves sleep.
Improves blood glucose control
Increases blood flow throughout the body
Builds muscle and bone strength
Facilitates weight loss and improves flexibility

Reference

Sonal Tanwar et al., Yoga and aerobic exercise together may improve heart disease risk factors. ACC Middle East Conference 2017 (2017).

Source-Medindia