Researchers at Ohio State University have concluded that yoga minimizes stress-related inflammation. The importance of these findings is critical to a range of diseases, since inflammation is a reliable predicator of all-cause mortality in older adults. For example, inflammation has been shown to play a role in cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease and periodontal disease.
Their research data demonstrate the "pathway through which yoga or related practices may affect physiological functioning and health." And they conclude by emphasizing that "if yoga dampens or limits stress-related immunological, endocrinological, and cardiovascular changes, then regular practice could have substantial benefits."
The article begins by referencing numerous earlier research studies that suggest yoga's positive benefits for inflammation.
The average age of the 50 women participating in this study was 41.32 years. Extensive details are provided on the screening and evaluation processes followed, as well as the names of the poses employed. As pointed out, Iyengar "poses were chosen based on their purported relationship to immune function and/or restorative effects." [B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga...
This is a major study with findings of critical importance to all yoga therapists and practitioners. And, unlike many other Western medical studies that deal with yoga, the researchers were well informed about yoga and provided details on the type of yoga and the specific poses and their order as used in the study.
Abstract: PubMed. Early release of "Stress, Inflammation, and Yoga Practice," by Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, Lisa Christian, Heather Preston, Carrie R. Houts, William B. Malarkey, Charles F. Emery, and Ronald Glaser, in Psychosomatic Medicine, January 11, 2010: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181cb9377]
