Effects of Surya Namaskar yoga on perceived stress, anthropometric parameters, and physical fitness in overweight and obese female university students: A randomized controlled trial.
Boonsita Suwannakul, Noppharath Sangkarit, Ajchamon Thammachai and 1 others
PMID 40535981WHAT IT FOUND
In overweight and obese female physiotherapy students, 8 weeks of Surya Namaskar yoga lowered perceived stress and improved trunk flexibility more than no exercise.
It did not beat no exercise for BMI, strength, or aerobic capacity.
Key findings
01Perceived stress in the yoga group fell from 18.86 to 14.38 on a 0 to 40 scale, while in the control group it rose from 16.95 to 18.45.
02At the end of training, the yoga group had lower perceived stress and higher trunk flexibility than the control group.
03The yoga group improved BMI, relative hand grip strength, relative leg strength, and VO 2 max from baseline, but none of these differed from the control group after training.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was only overweight or obese female physical therapy students aged 19 to 22, so it does not tell you what would happen in older adults, men, or other settings. The study had 43 analysed participants and the authors say it was underpowered to detect differences in some main outcomes between groups. Stress was measured by self-report, not by a biological measure such as cortisol. Nutrition and daily activity were not regulated, only advice was given. The control group did no exercise, so this compares yoga with inactivity rather than with another exercise or usual care. Participants knew which group they were in; only the outcome assessor was blinded.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and there was no specific grant from public, private, or non-profit funding organizations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Surya Namaskar reduces BMI or improves strength or aerobic capacity more than doing nothing. The yoga group improved from baseline, but after 8 weeks there were no significant differences between yoga and control for BMI, grip strength, leg strength, or aerobic capacity.