Yoga as an anti-inflammatory?

Yoga has long been considered beneficial for physical and mental health, and spiritual growth too of course. On the physical side, a regular yoga practise improves muscular strength, tone and flexibility, and mentally speaking, helps us to better manage the normal stresses of everyday life. Slow forms of exercise such as yoga, Tai Chi, and many forms of meditation practice allow for a more focused concentration on the breath, and a more controlled, deeper form of breathing. All these types of exercise are known to be highly effective at lowering levels of the body’s stress hormones, particularly adrenalin and cortisol, and re-oxygenating the body’s cells. Many people take up yoga for this reason precisely – to counteract stress. Little do they know however, that their daily yoga is also working to reduce inflammation in the body?

Yoga as the new anti-inflammatory drug…
A recent study found that women who regularly practice yoga had lower amounts of inflammatory compounds (e.g. Interleukin-6 or IL-6) in the blood. In addition when they were put under stress, those who practiced yoga regularly produced less of the inflammatory cytokines, responded less strongly to stress, and consequently had less overall inflammation. The study, by Ohio State University researchers was reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine early in 2010. 

To put this into some context, general body or tissue inflammation is at the core of most chronic disease, including heart disease, obesity, stroke, diabetes and arthritis. Inflammation rises too, as part of the ageing process and during stress. The more inflammation, the more free radical production, cellular breakdown, ageing and disease. Treating overall “body inflammation” is a popular and effective approach amongst many health practitioners today. Substances such as fish oil, other long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and vitamin C are just some examples of natural anti-inflammatories. Anti-inflammatory foods include all fresh fruits and vegetables, many herbs, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish. Reducing inflammation provides both short-term (acute) and long-term health benefits.

For this study, 50 women, with an average age of 41 years were split into 2 groups – yoga novices and yoga experts who had practiced yoga regularly for the past 2 years. The novices had only taken 6 to 12 sessions during the previous year. The researchers put all the participants through different stressful situations (both mental and physical), and then followed these with one of several calming exercises, including relaxing, slow walking or a yoga session. Blood samples were taken periodically, and signs of inflammation were noted and recorded. The yoga experts had significantly lower inflammation than the novices, and responded less strongly to the stressors too.

So if you’ve been thinking about taking up yoga, or getting back to a regular class or practice, maybe this newfound information will be enough to help you take action! It is quite clear you’d be doing yourself, body and mind several great favours! Good luck.

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