Yoga 'prevents age-related illness'
Yoga can help reduce cytokine levels
Yoga is more than just a way to get fit, according to new research which suggests it can help prevent a number of age-related illnesses.
Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered that yoga helps reduce cytokine levels in the body which lead to the inflammation linked with arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and various forms of cancer, among other conditions.
Over the course of the study, 50 female participants, some of whom were yoga novices who had used home videos or attended a small number of classes and others who were regular practitioners, were monitored.
Both of the groups attended three yoga sessions at two-week intervals and took part in a series of tests aimed at assessing their mood and stress levels.
It was noted that the yoga novices' cytokine IL-6 levels were 41% higher than the experts'.
Furthermore, yoga practitioners were found to experience a very small rise in the levels of the inflammatory compounds in blood even after undertaking stressful events.
"We know that inflammation plays a major role in many diseases. Yoga appears to be a simple and enjoyable way to add an intervention that might reduce risks for developing heart disease, diabetes and other age-related diseases," commented lead researcher Janice Kiecolt-Glaser.
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"This is an easy thing people can do to help reduce their risks of illness."
According to the British Wheel of Yoga, the official national governing body for the sport, yoga can help with a number of common ailments, while many people are drawn to it due to the health and fitness and stress-busting benefits it offers.
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I remember once seeing a couple who looked like they were in their 70s doing yoga on the beach. Incredibly flexible, I was amazed by the way they could still bend their bodies into all sorts of postures, with bodies better than ours (and we're in our 30s). An advert for the benefits of yoga in old age if ever I saw one!