Abstract
Overweight/obesity is a pressing international health concern, and conventional treatments demonstrate poor long-term efficacy. Several studies have shown that yoga can control risk factors for cardiovascular disease, obesity, and psychosocial stress. The present study aimed to assess the effect of continuous yoga (asanas, pranayama, and Surya Namaskar yoga) on body composition in overweight participants. Forty adolescents with obesity were enrolled in this study. The study was conceived as a prospective, single-center, single-blinded randomized controlled trial. The participants were divided into 2 groups: the intervention group (n = 20), which undertook a continuous yoga practice, and the control group (n = 20). Body composition, including body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), body fat mass (BFM), and muscle mass, was evaluated using tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance (BIA). Our results showed that the mean BMI and BFM of the yoga intervention group were significantly decreased at week 8 and week 12. The muscle mass of the yoga group continued to improve at a rate of 0.515 per week, which was statistically significant. In conclusion, a continuous yoga practice had a tendency to decrease BMI and BFM and increase muscle mass. These findings demonstrate intervention effectiveness similar to that observed in other clinical research and indicate that continuous yoga practice may be used as an alternative therapy for obesity prevention and health promotion in adolescents with obesity.
Highlights
Obesity is a metabolic disorder with excessive fat accumulation in different parts of the body, and it is a risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders [1]
Almost half of the children under 5 who were overweight or obese in 2019 lived in Asia. e prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5–19 has risen dramatically from 4% in 1975 to just over 18% in 2016. is increase occurred in boys and girls; in 2016, 18% of girls and 19% of boys were overweight [5]. e results of a 2014 nationwide health survey of ai people found that ai people over 15 years old were more likely to be overweight and obese (body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or more) than people who participated in the survey in 2009; the rate among women increased from 40.7% to 41.8%, and the rate among men increased from 28.4% to 32.9% [6]
E first group was the yoga or intervention group, and the second group served as the control group. e results demonstrated that the mean weight, BMI, body fat mass (BFM), and muscle mass were not different between the control group and the yoga group. e mean height of the control group was significantly greater than the yoga group (Table 2). ere was no significant difference between the two groups in weight, BMI, or BFM
Summary
Obesity is a metabolic disorder with excessive fat accumulation in different parts of the body, and it is a risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders [1]. Treatment programs must include behavioral components to permanently change the nutrition and physical exercise habits of obese children and adolescents [9]. All of this information shows that adolescent obesity remains a major public health problem that must be addressed. A recent study suggests that transcendental meditation may be extremely useful in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease [13] and may decrease body weight [11] Yoga is one such intervention, with studies reporting long-term adherence and benefits in various health conditions, including obesity. It is necessary to study forms of exercise that are appropriate and beneficial for weight. e present study examined the effects of a continuous yoga program on weight loss and body composition. is study provides new exercise knowledge on classic yoga plus aerobic exercise for decreasing body weight and increasing fat-burning in female adolescents
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