The effectiveness of yoga exercise toward blood pressure and endothelial-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) level in hypertensive diabetic population

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes and its complications are the leading causes of premature death worldwide. Diabetes causes complications such as hypertension and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Endothelial dysfunction is the primary pathophysiology that underlies complications of diabetes mellitus. EDHF (Endothelial-Derived Hyperpolarizing Factor) is a relaxing factor that targets current therapy in vascular dysfunction and insulin resistance in obesity and diabetes mellitus. Yoga training is a physical activity that has been shown to play a role in decrease blood pressure, but to our knowledge, there are no studies that prove the effectiveness of yoga in increasing EDHF levels. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the efficacy of yoga to decrease blood pressure and increase EDHF levels in type II diabetes mellitus patients with hypertension.Methods: This research was a randomized control trial that involved 39 hypertensive diabetic respondents and was conducted in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Yoga exercise was carried out two times a week for eight weeks, with a duration of 60 minutes per session. EDHF levels were examined using the ELISA technique.Results: There was a significant difference in systolic, diastolic and EDHF levels after the intervention between the yoga and control groups and large effect size.Conclusion: In conclusion, yoga training effectively reduced blood pressure and prevented endothelial dysfunction by increasing the blood vessel relaxing factor, namely EDHF.