Effect of Yoga on Blood Pressure in Prehypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Introduction. Prehypertension is a precursor for developing hypertension and is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Yoga therapy may have a role in lowering the blood pressures in prehypertension and hypertension. This systematic review aims to synthesize the available literature for the same. Methodology. Databases such as PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for randomised control trials only in the time duration of 2010–2021. The main outcome of interest was systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Articles were screened based on the inclusion criteria, and 8 articles were recruited for the review. Meta-analysis was done for suitable articles. RevMan 5.4 by Cochrane was used for meta-analysis and forest plot construction. Risk of bias was determined using the Downs and Black checklist by three independent authors. Results. The meta-analysis of the articles favoured yoga intervention over the control intervention. Yoga therapy had significantly reduced the systolic pressure (−0.62 standard mean difference, at IV fixed 95% CI: −0.83, −0.41) and diastolic pressure (−0.81 standard mean difference, at IV random 95% CI: −1.39, −0.22). Secondary outcome measures studied were heart rate, weight, BMI, waist circumference, and lipid profile. The main protocol of yoga therapy included postures, breathing exercises, and different meditation techniques. A significant reduction in secondary outcomes was observed, except for HDL values in lipid profile which showed a gradual increase in yoga group in comparison with alternative therapy. Conclusion. Yoga therapy has shown to be significant in the reduction of systolic and diastolic pressure in prehypertensive population. Supporting evidence lacks in providing a proper structured dosage of yoga asanas and breathing techniques. Considering the existing literature and evidence, Yoga therapy can be used and recommended in prehypertensive population and can be beneficial in reducing the chances of developing hypertension or cardiovascular diseases.

Yoga Nidra for hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…1 depicts the number of search results returned by each database. Along with online searches, abstracts of 50 relevant references screened from seven previous reviews were also checked for inclusion [ [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] ]. There were 24 duplicate studies among the search results, which were eliminated before the screening process.…”

La práctica de yoga dirigida por trabajadores de salud en centros ayurvédicos podría mejorar los valores de presión arterial en pacientes con hipertensión arterial leve

“…En un estudio previo 2 en el que había sido incluida una población más heterogénea (con presión arterial normal, prehipertensión, presión normal-alta e hipertensión de grado 1) fue observada una mejoría solo en la PAD en el grupo que realizó yoga en el hogar en comparación con el grupo control, mientras que en un estudio posterior del mismo investigador 3 en el que sólo incluyeron individuos con presión normal-alta o hipertensión de grado 1 no se observaron diferencias en la presión arterial entre el grupo intervención y el control. Por otro lado, los resultados de una revisión sistemática y meta-análisis publicada recientemente por Khandekar JS, et al 4 en la que fue evaluado el efecto de la terapia de yoga en personas con pre-hipertensión, muestran una reducción significativa de la PAS (diferencias de media estandarizada [DME] -0,62, intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95 % -0,83 a -0,41) y de la PAD (DME -0,81, IC del 95 % -1,39 a -0,22). El ensayo clínico comentado 1 documentó una reducción de la presión arterial en pacientes con hipertensión de grado 1 o leve, sin embargo es necesario destacar ciertas limitaciones.…”

The role of Yoga Practice in Management of Coronary Artery Disease

“…A meta-analysis published in 2017 reports that patients above 60 years of age showed improvement in blood pressure in response to mediation, whereas those below 60 years showed improvement in blood pressure in response to different yogic postures (11). Also, Yoga has been shown beneficial in pre-hypertensive individuals, effective in controlling hypertension, and preventing the onset of hypertension at the community level (12,13). Endothelial function is also improved by Yoga in CAD (14).…”