Key result
Yogic breathing significantly improves metabolic syndrome severity, waist circumference, and heart rate variability vs standard care.
Why the study?
The effects of Yogic breathing (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga) on conventional and atypical cardiovascular risk factors in adults with metabolic syndrome were not well established.
Does a 12-week Yogic breathing intervention improve cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome severity in adults with metabolic syndrome?
RCT (n=72)
1:1
Does a 12-week Yogic breathing intervention improve cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome severity in adults with metabolic syndrome?
A 12-week Yogic breathing intervention (SKY) alongside standard care improves metabolic syndrome severity, waist circumference, and heart rate variability without adverse events.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports adjunctive yogic breathing in metabolic syndrome care; extends RCT evidence for autonomic modulation.
Aims To evaluate the effects of Yogic breathing (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga [SKY]) on conventional and atypical cardiovascular risk factors in adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods In this 12-week, two-arm randomized controlled trial, 72 adults (30–60 years) with MetS were randomized (1:1) to SKY plus standard care or waitlisted standard care control group. Conventional and atypical cardiovascular risk factors, spanning behavioral, biological, inflammatory, oxidative, and autonomic markers, were assessed at baseline and 3 months. Between-group effects were evaluated by ANCOVA (adjusted for baseline values and medication use) using per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT; last observation carried forward) analyses. Results 64 participants completed follow-up (SKY, n=34; control, n=30). Improvements consistent across PP and ITT occurred in waist circumference (p=0.025/0.035), MetS severity score (MetSSS) (p=0.020/0.014), and heart rate variability (HRV) low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) power (p=0.035/0.010). Self-regulation of eating behavior, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and LF/HF ratio were significant only under ITT (p=0.0498, 0.035, 0.041), not PP (p=0.146, 0.056, 0.118). No significant between-group differences were observed for other outcomes. Within SKY, changes in HF power and superoxide dismutase (SOD) correlated inversely with changes in MetSSS (r=−0.36, p=0.039; r=−0.55, p=0.001). No adverse events occurred. Conclusion 12-week of SKY improved waist circumference, MetS severity, and selected HRV measures in MetS adults. These findings were robust across analyses, while other outcomes were non-significant or inconsistent. Exploratory associations between HRV, SOD, and MetSSS warrant testing in larger, longer-duration trials. Trial registration Prospectively registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI/2023/08/056540) on 16-Aug-2023.
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Sethi et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Metabolic syndrome (MetS) (n=72). Yogic breathing (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga [SKY]) vs. Waitlisted standard care control group was evaluated on Waist circumference, MetS severity score (MetSSS), and heart rate variability (HRV) (p=0.020/0.014 (for MetSSS)). A 12-week yogic breathing intervention significantly improved waist circumference, metabolic syndrome severity, and heart rate variability in adults with MetS compared to standard care.
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