Practicing yoga may be one way to prevent middle-aged spread, according to the findings of a new study.
Although the connection appears to be indirect, yoga practitioners are apparently able to avoid - or at least minimize - the one-pound-a-year of gained weight that most people endure between the ages of 45 and 55.
The researchers used data from more than 15,000 men and women ages 53 to 57, who reported their weight at age 45 and their current weight.
The subjects were also asked to report whether they engaged regularly in three specific recreational activities - walking, weight lifting, and yoga - and whether they participated in two broader categories of activity, moderate and strenuous exercise. The researchers assessed the diet of the study participants using a detailed food questionnaire.
Practicing yoga for 4 or more years, for at least 30 minutes once a week, was associated with a 3.1-pound lower weight gain among people who were normal weight at age 45. The yoga practitioners who were overweight at 45 lost an average of 5 pounds, as opposed to an average gain of 13 pounds in overweight nonpractitioners. Being overweight was defined as having a body mass index of 25 or greater.
The authors conceded that their study, published in the July/August issue of Alternative Therapies, has many limitations. Although there were more than 1,000 people in the study who did some yoga, almost half did less than 30 minutes at a session, while normal yoga sessions usually last 60 to 90 minutes. Only 132 of these people maintained the practice longer than four years.
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