- Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2015) Volume 5, Issue 45

Efficacy of yoga in balancing the deranged biochemical profile in healthy perimenopausal women hailing from South Kanara district of Karnataka, India

Background: Alteration in biochemical profile has been observed in perimenopause due to change in the hormonal level. Regular practice of yoga has been found to be effective in improving serum lipid concentration, glycemic index and combat the oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of yoga on glycemic index, serum lipid profile, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), cortisol and antioxidant activity (AOA) in healthy perimenopausal women residing in the coastal region of Karnataka. Methodology: 111 women aged 40 to 60 years with perimenopausal symptoms were recruited considering inclusion and exclusion criteria set for the study. Our participants were checked for glycemic index, serum lipid profile, TSH, cortisol and AOA levels before and after 12-weeks of yoga intervention. Results: Yoga therapy intervention resulted in significant decrease (P=0.05) in fasting blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin (P=0.03), total cholesterol (TC) (P=0.06), low density lipoprotein (LDL) (P=0.04), TC/HDL ratio (P=0.002). Serum triglyceride concentration is decreased whereas high density lipoprotein (HDL), TSH and AOA was increased within the normal range after the intervention, though the change was not statistically significant. Cortisol showed no significant change after yoga therapy intervention. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that yoga helps in improving the glycemic index, serum lipid profile, TSH and AOA in perimenopausal women. Thus it can be effectively used to improve the quality of life in perimenopausal women.

Author(s): Abhishek Chaturvedi, Gayathry Nayak, Akshatha G Nayak, Vivek Sharma, A. Sapna Devi, Anjali Rao

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