Restorative yoga and metabolic risk factors: The Practicing Restorative Yoga vs. Stretching for the Metabolic Syndrome (PRYSMS) randomized trial.


Author: Kanaya AM1, Araneta MR2, Pawlowsky SB3, Barrett-Connor E2, Grady D3, Vittinghoff E3, Schembri M3, Chang A3, Carrion-Petersen ML2, Coggins T3, Tanori D2, Armas JM3, Cole RJ4.

Affiliation: 1University of California, San Francisco. Electronic address: alka.kanaya@ucsf.edu. 2University of California, San Diego. 3University of California, San Francisco. 4Synchrony Applied Health Sciences, Del Mar, CA.
Conference/Journal: J Diabetes Complications.
Date published: 2013 Dec 10
Other:
  Pages: S1056-8727(13)00327-9   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2013.12.001   ,  Word Count: 240  
    

AIMS:

Intensive lifestyle change prevents type 2 diabetes but is difficult to sustain. Preliminary evidence suggests that yoga may improve metabolic factors. We tested a restorative yoga intervention vs. active stretching for metabolic outcomes.

METHODS:

In 2009-2012, we conducted a 48-week randomized trial comparing restorative yoga vs. stretching among underactive adults with the metabolic syndrome at the Universities of California, San Francisco and San Diego. We provided lifestyle counseling and a tapering series of 90-min group classes in the 24-week intervention period and 24-week maintenance period. Fasting and 2-h glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, insulin, systolic blood pressure, visceral fat, and quality of life were assessed at baseline, 6- and 12-months.

RESULTS:

180 participants were randomized and 135 (75%) completed the trial. At 12months, fasting glucose decreased more in the yoga group than in the stretching group (-0.35mmol/L vs. -0.03mmol/L; p=0.002); there were no other significant differences between groups. At 6months favorable changes within the yoga group included reductions in fasting glucose, insulin, and HbA1c and an increase in HDL-cholesterol that were not sustained at 1year except changes in fasting glucose. The stretching group had a significant reduction in triglycerides at 6months which was not sustained at 1year but had improved quality of life at both time-points.

CONCLUSIONS:

Restorative yoga was marginally better than stretching for improving fasting glucose but not other metabolic factors.

Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Diabetes, Prevention, Randomized clinical trial, Weight management



PMID: 24418351