Effect of hatha yoga intervention on cardiovascular system in women after breast cancer surgery

Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of 2 different exercise regimens on cardiovascular fitness in women with breast cancer. Methods A total of 110 women consented to take part in the study but only 102 met the inclusion criteria and were involved (8 patients did not meet the research criteria and were excluded); 95 women completed the interventions and were included in the final analysis. The patients’ mean age was 57.53 ± 1.92 years for group A and 58.00 ± 1.27 years for group B. The participants were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Group A (n = 48) received hatha yoga intervention and group B (n = 47) received Pilates intervention for 3 months. Impedance cardiography was used to measure pre- and post-intervention functional capacity of the cardiovascular system. Results Post-intervention impact was observed for both intervention approaches, but better improvement was noted in the group of hatha yoga than that of Pilates. The actual values of stroke volume and left ventricular power were significantly higher in group A compared with group B by 6.05 ml/beat (p < 0.05) and 0.19 W (p < 0.05), respectively; the relative values were correspondingly better by 6.22% (p < 0.05) and 10.71% (p < 0.05). Conclusions Hatha yoga and Pilates interventions are both effective in improving cardiovascular function, but hatha yoga turns out more beneficial.