Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that middle-aged adults who practice yoga on a regular basis gain less weight as they age than those who don't do yoga.
The study involved 15,500 healthy middle-agers who were asked to fill out a survey on their physical activity and weight history between the ages of
45 and 55. In their analysis, the researchers accounted for differences in diet and other types of physical activity besides yoga.
Normal weight men and women who regularly bend and twist themselves into yoga postures gained 9.5 pounds (4.3 kg) over a decade, while their non-yoga practicing counterparts gained 12.6 pounds (5.7 kg).
For overweight participants, the difference was even more dramatic: those who practiced yoga lost about 5 pounds (about 2.25 kg), while those who didn't gained about 14 pounds (about 6.4 kg).
While the idea of exercising to lose weight may seem obvious, Kristal and colleagues say this effect may have less to do with burning calories and more to do with an increase in body awareness.
Study:
Yoga may prevent middle-age weight gain.
A study on yoga and body weight shows it may be possible to stretch and twist your way out of the middle-age spread.
Gradual weight gain through middle age is common, because as we age, our bodies require fewer calories. But many people don't adjust their caloric intake to make up for the decrease in metabolism. According to researchers Dr. Alan R. Kristal and colleagues, this translates into a gain of about a pound per year.
But according to Kristal's study, people who practice yoga on a regular basis - defined as at least 30 minutes once a week for four or more years - gained about three fewer pounds over a 10-year period than those who didn't do yoga. These findings were published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.
"During a very vigorous yoga practice you can burn enough calories to lose weight, but most people don't practice that kind of yoga," Kristal said in a press release. "From my experience, I think it has to do with the way that yoga makes you more aware of your body. So when you've eaten enough food, you're sensitive to the feeling of being full, and this makes it much easier to stop eating before you've eaten too much."
Co-author Denise Benitez theorizes that yoga may also have a strengthening effect on the willpower, and not just on the body.
"When we practice yoga, although it may look easy, there is some mild discomfort. You bring your body to a physical edge that's just a little bit challenging. And people who regularly practice yoga develop the inner resources to stay with a little bit of discomfort. They develop a softness inside and an ability to stay mindful. So that when you go home after yoga class and open up the fridge and see a chocolate cake, you have the resources to stay with the discomfort of not eating that chocolate cake," she said.
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