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Often associated with many health benefits, yoga could also play a role in physical abilities associated with longevity and even prevent signs of frailty in seniors, preserving strength or endurance.
A discipline combining physical poses, breathing and meditation, yoga is today associated with better physical and mental well-being among its practitioners. But its effect on the frailty of the elderly had so far not been assessed. It is now done according to a randomized trial conducted by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston on people over 65, and made public on March 14. According to him, everything seems to indicate that yoga (like other physical exercises) is also beneficial for maintaining a certain resistance despite age.
An improvement in walking speed
Thirty-three studies, involving 2384 participants, were identified in a variety of populations, including independent seniors, nursing home residents, and people with chronic conditions. Yoga styles were mainly based on Hatha yoga and most often included Iyengar (with a sequence of postures) or chair methods, practiced from 4 to 28 weeks. The frailty markers observed included measures of gait speed, grip strength, balance, lower extremity strength and endurance, and measures of physical performance.
Based on their observations, the researchers determined:
- With “moderate certainty” yoga practice improved some markers of frailty, including walking speed, lower extremity strength and endurance;
- Low-certainty evidence was noted for balance (but perhaps simply because yoga was practiced a lot while seated);
- Very low-certainty evidence was found for grip strength.
The practice of a physical activity above all
The authors of the Brigham review say this is the first to examine the effects of yoga on frailty – a multifaceted and difficult to treat health condition. This problem is however associated with an increase in falls, hospitalizations and morbidity which is at the forefront of public health concerns in many countries where populations are rapidly aging. The authors were particularly enthusiastic about the strong association between yoga and walking speed, which has a “well-established link” with survival: “Thus slower walking may indicate that the vicious circle of frailty is developing, which is associated with earlier death.”.
However, the practice of yoga would not be more beneficial than other forms of exercise, such as tai chi, note the authors. “All of these practices work on multiple body systems, which is why they’re probably helpful for frailty, and they’re all healthy options”, Dr. Loewenthal wrote. He says more research is needed to compare different forms of exercise and their effects on frailty.
Slide: Beginner yoga: the easiest postures