Systematic Review of Yoga Interventions to Promote Cardiovascular Health in Older Adults

Abstract

The benefits of physical activity are well established, yet few older adults engage in adequate physical activity to optimize health. While yoga may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, few studies have focused on the efficacy of yoga-based physical activity to promote cardiovascular health in older adults. The objective of this review is to provide an evaluation of yoga interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk in older adults. Four databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of yoga interventions in older adults. Studies with cardiovascular outcomes were included. Literature searches identified nine articles eligible for review. Significant health benefits were reported, including favorable changes in blood pressure, body composition, glucose, and lipids. Yoga practices, participant characteristics, and outcome measures were variable. There was limited use of theory. Yoga is safe and feasible in older adults; additional research is warranted to examine the specific components of yoga interventions essential to reducing cardiovascular risk.

The effects of yoga compared to active and inactive controls on physical function and health related quality of life in older adults- systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

“…It is a mode of activity found to have multiple benefits for older adults [9–11]. Previous systematic reviews have provided evidence on the beneficial effects of yoga in older adults in terms of promoting cardiovascular health [12], balance and mobility [10], alleviating depression and improving quality of sleep [9]. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis by Tulloch et al [13] found that yoga had a medium effect on health related quality of life (HRQoL), and a small effect on mental wellbeing in people aged 60+ years.…”

Effects of yoga on well-being and healthy ageing: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (FitForAge)

“…Yoga is an increasingly popular form of physical activity15 and refers to a unity of the body, mind and spirit 16. Recent research indicates beneficial effects of yoga on several health outcomes affecting elderly adults, including balance and mobility,17–19 cardiometabolic health,20–23 cognition,24–26 sleep quality and quality of life 27. Yoga practice has also been associated with better subjective well-being28–30 and improved mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety 31 32.…”

Effect of Yoga versus Light Exercise to Improve Well-Being and Promote Healthy Aging among Older Adults in Central India: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The evidence from recent studies has identified the elderly's interest in different type of physical activity that are simple, easy and help them in developing well-being and internal satisfaction than focused on fitness and appearances [13][14][15][16][17]. Well-being, which is consisted of physical, psychological and social components [18], and high well-being are associated with low prevalence of non communicable diseases, healthy aging and longevity [19,20].…”

“…Several studies conducted across the globe have demonstrated the positive effects of yoga on the number of health outcomes that concerns elderly such as improvements in depression and anxiety [13,[23][24][25][26][27], mood and stress [25,28], pain reduction [29,30], enhanced sleep quality [13,25,26,30,31], balance resulting in fall prevention [23,27,32,33] cognition [31,34] and cardio metabolic health [17,28,30,35]. Studies have also reported improvement in the subjective well-being [36,37].…”