Hypertensive patients, systolic blood pressure drops ↓… 2.5 times the effect of stretching
A new study has found that if hypertensive patients add yoga to their usual exercise routine and continue for 3 months, they can lower blood pressure 2.5 times more than stretching alone.
A research team from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Laval University in Quebec, Canada revealed that this was the result of performing a physical training program for 60 men and women diagnosed with hypertension and metabolic syndrome. “Yoga can improve both health and well-being, and has been confirmed to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” said lead study author Dr.
The research team divided the participants into two groups. One group did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise plus 15 minutes of yoga 5 times a week, while the other group did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise and 15 minutes of stretching 5 times a week. At the start of the study, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, gender, smoking rate, body mass index (BMI), resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. Participants had systolic blood pressure above 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure above 90 mmHg.
After three months, the research team measured and analyzed the participants’ blood pressure, weight, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and glucose and lipid levels. As a result, people who practiced yoga were found to decrease systolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg. For those who did the stretching, it was only 4mmHg lower. The yoga group also significantly lowered resting heart rate.
In particular, as a result of the Reynold’s risk score assessment, it was analyzed that people who practiced yoga had a significantly lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease within the next 10 years. The research team said: “Patients with hypertension should try to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by exercising regularly and relieving stress.”
The results of this study (Impact of Yoga on Global Cardiovascular Risk as an Add-On to a Regular Exercise Regimen in Patients With Hypertension) were published in the ≪Canadian Journal of Cardiology≫ and the American health and medicine media ‘MedicalXpress” has introduced .
