NEW DELHI: Introducing yoga to one’s lifestyle for six months can help reduce blood pressure, shows a study conducted by researchers at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the Capital.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Hypertension, was conducted through a randomised sampling on 60 patients with high normal blood pressure or prehypertension. The patients visited the yoga centre every month for monitoring and evaluation. The majority of patients in both the groups were women. 

According to the study, prehypertension is a precursor of clinical hypertension. It also increases the chances of a person suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle modification is key to reducing prehypertension, the study says.   

“Hypertension is a major public health concern throughout the world, with over one in five adults affected worldwide and this is likely to increase to 29.2% by 2025. The absolute prevalence of hypertension in economically developed nations is 37.3% as compared to 22.9% in the developing countries. Though the prevalence of hypertension is widespread, a significant proportion of patients have mild hypertension or high normal blood pressure (prehypertension),” Dr M Gourie Devi, chairperson, department of neurophysiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said. 

Hypertension, along with other risk factors like diabetes, overweight and smoking contribute to the occurrence of heart disease and stroke.

The patients, who were suffering from a similar condition, were divided into two groups — of 30 each — for the purpose of the study. While one group of patients were assigned to practise yoga as lifestyle modification, the other group was prescribed the conventional lifestyle modifications of exercise, dieting and giving up smoking.

“This study has convincingly demonstrated that yoga intervention in patients with prehypertension can significantly reduce blood pressure,” said Dr Nandini Agarwal, author of the study, department of neurophysiology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. 

The study also concluded that more in-depth studies are required to establish the long-term efficacy of yoga. Well-controlled studies are required for the exact role of yoga in hypertension and prehypertension, the study said. 

•     Health rejuvenating exercises, which were performed as a warm-up routine
•  Asanas or Yoga postures for stretch and relaxation
•  Alternate nose breathing was another common exercise that patients were encouraged to perform as relaxation exercises
•  Meditation