P3806The cardiac hemodynamic effects of yoga and it's constituent parts as an adjunct to standard cardiac rehabilitation

Abstract

Background: Hypertension increases the risk of myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, renal failure and stroke. Recent research has suggested that yoga has the potential to lower blood pressure (BP). Yoga is an exercise that involves deep breathing, relaxation and stretching exercises. Comparative studies of yoga versus its constituent parts; deep breathing, relaxation and stretching on HR, Pulse Pressure (PP), Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) and BP are lacking. Methods: Sixty healthy volunteers were recruited from a cardiovascular prevention center. BP and HR were measured using 24‐Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitors at baseline and at three months. Individuals were randomized equally into a relaxation group, a stretching group, a deep breathing group and a yoga group who were taught their respective routines by the same cardiovascular kinesiologist. Participants were instructed to perform their prescribed 15‐minute routine five times per week, twice of which were on site in a guided class. Results: There were no significant differences at baseline. There was no significant difference between baseline and after the 3‐month intervention in the quiet relaxation group. The stretching group had a 4.5% (p<0.0001) reduction in systolic BP and saw similar reductions in diastolic BP, PP, MAP and HR. In the deep breathing group, it was found that after the intervention there was a 7.1% reduction in systolic BP (p<0.0001). Similar changes were found for diastolic BP, PP, MAP and HR. The yoga group was found to reduce systolic BP by 9.7% (p<0.0001) significantly more than stretching or relaxation groups but had no significant difference in comparison to deep breathing after the 3‐month intervention. Similar results were found for diastolic BP, PP, MAP and HR. Conclusions: Quiet relaxation had minimal effects on all hemodynamic parameters assessed; deep breathing, stretching and yoga appeared to reduce BP, PP, MAP and HR. Yoga appeared to have significantly greater reductions than stretching and relaxation but had similar reductions as deep breathing. This suggests that deep breathing exercise may be a significant contributor to the antihypertensive benefits of yoga. (Table Presented) .