'Yoga can help prevent heart attack'

Yoga reduces blood pressure in patients with pre-hypertension, according to a study that investigated the impact of hatha yoga on blood pressure in such patients who were otherwise healthy.

“Although the reduction in blood pressure was modest, it could be clinically very meaningful because even a 2 mm of Hg (mercury) decrease in diastolic BP has the potential to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by 6% and the risk of stroke and transient ischaemic attack by 15%,” said Ashutosh Angrish, a cardiologist at Sir Gangaram Hospital in Delhi.

The heart specialist presented the findings at the annual conference of the Cardiological Society of India in Kochi on Thursday. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm of Hg while the diastolic BP is 90 mm of Hg. Clinically, pre-hypertension (slightly elevated blood pressure) is defined as a systolic BP 120-139 mm of Hg or a diastolic BP 80-89 mm of Hg.

“Patients with pre-hypertension are likely to develop hypertension unless they improve their lifestyle,” said Angrish. That’s where yoga comes handy. This study investigated the impact of hatha yoga on blood pressure in 60 patients.

Patients were randomised to two groups of 30 each to assess the effect of three months of yoga in addition to conventional lifestyle changes. They were compared with another group who only underwent conventional lifestyle changes.

In the yoga group, both 24 hour diastolic blood pressure and night diastolic BP significantly decreased (by approximately 4.5 mm of Hg). Also, 24 hour mean arterial pressure significantly decreased (by around 4.9 mm of Hg). The control group did not show any significant change.

“Our research suggests that patients with pre-hypertension should be advised to practice hatha yoga (a combination of asanas, pranayam and meditation) for one hour daily. It may prevent the development of hypertension and in addition, give a sense of well-being. The exact mechanism, however, is not clear,” Angrish said.

“Yoga is a part of traditional Indian culture and has shown clear benefit in cases of pre-hypertension. Yoga can go a long way in improving the overall health of the country, as hypertension is affecting a large number of young Indians. Yoga can turn out to be just the correct answer for people at risk,” said Shirish Hiremath, president elect and chairman of the scientific committee of the Cardiological Society of India.