Restorative yoga and metabolic risk factors: The Practicing Restorative Yoga vs. Stretching for the Metabolic Syndrome (PRYSMS) randomized trial.

AIMS:
Intensive lifestyle change prevents type 2 diabetes but is difficult to sustain. Preliminary evidence suggests that yoga may improve metabolic factors. We tested a restorative yoga intervention vs. active stretching for metabolic outcomes.
METHODS:
In 2009-2012, we conducted a 48-week randomized trial comparing restorative yoga vs. stretching among underactive adults with the metabolic syndrome at the Universities of California, San Francisco and San Diego. We provided lifestyle counseling and a tapering series of 90-min group classes in the 24-week intervention period and 24-week maintenance period. Fasting and 2-h glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, insulin, systolic blood pressure, visceral fat, and quality of life were assessed at baseline, 6- and 12-months.
RESULTS:
180 participants were randomized and 135 (75%) completed the trial. At 12months, fasting glucose decreased more in the yoga group than in the stretching group (-0.35mmol/L vs. -0.03mmol/L; p=0.002); there were no other significant differences between groups. At 6months favorable changes within the yoga group included reductions in fasting glucose, insulin, and HbA1c and an increase in HDL-cholesterol that were not sustained at 1year except changes in fasting glucose. The stretching group had a significant reduction in triglycerides at 6months which was not sustained at 1year but had improved quality of life at both time-points.
CONCLUSIONS:
Restorative yoga was marginally better than stretching for improving fasting glucose but not other metabolic factors.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Diabetes, Prevention, Randomized clinical trial, Weight management

PMID: 24418351