The study, published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (2005, vol 11, no 4), examined whether yoga practice is associated with slowing weight gain in middle-aged adults. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed data from the Vitamins and Lifestyle Study (VITAL), a survey of 15,550 adults with an average age of 55. Questionnaires obtained from the participants were analyzed for physical activity (including yoga) and correlated with body weight changes during the previous ten years.
Researchers found that normal weight participants who practiced yoga for more than four years had a 3.1-pound lower weight gain, than the normal weight participants who didn't practice yoga. Furthermore, overweight participants who practiced yoga for more than four years had an 18.5-pound lower weight gain, than the overweight participants who didn't practice yoga.
"Regular yoga practice was associated with attenuated weight gain, most strongly among individuals who were overweight," the study authors conclude. "Although causal inference from this observational study is not possible, results are consistent with the hypothesis that regular yoga practice can benefit individuals who wish to maintain or lose weight."
Posted by Kristopher Foster on June 29, 2006 11:17 PM
