Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome are major public health problems in the USA and worldwide. A new paper finds that Yoga, a popular mind-body practice, has value in improving cardio-metabolic health.
The article is a review of other papers, so some caution is warranted, but the the authors say it helps strengthen the evidence base for yoga as a potentially effective therapy for such conditions. The results support earlier reviews on the positive benefits of yoga for CVD prevention and demonstrates the potential of yoga to have an impact on concrete, physiological outcomes that represent some of the greatest health burdens today.
As does any form of exercise. But getting overweight people to exercise is the challenge, that is why they are overweight. If yoga does that, or if mountain-biking does, that's good, but claiming any particular brand of exercise is a miracle cure for weight-related diseases isn't warranted.
Article: "The effectiveness of yoga in modifying risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials" European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, http://cpr.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/12/02/2047487314562741.full.pd...