Files and links (2)
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
A systematic review and meta-analysis of yoga for arterial hypertension
PloS one, Vol.20(5), pp.1-22
14/05/2025
PMID: 40367243
Metrics
1 Record Views
Abstract
Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis is an update to prior research to evaluate the effects of yoga for managing prehypertension and hypertension.
Methods: Medline/PubMed, Scopus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from their inception until April 5th 2024. Randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) that compared yoga to any control intervention in participants with diagnosed prehypertension (120-139/80-89 mmHg) or hypertension (≥140/ ≥ 90mmHg) were included. Mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Risk of Bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool.
Results: 30 RCTs with 2283 participants were included. Very low quality of evidence was found for positive effects of yoga on systolic blood pressure (SBP, 26 RCTs, n = 2007; MD = -7.95 mmHg, 95% CI = -10.24 to -5.66, p < 0.01), diastolic blood pressure (DBP, 23 RCTs, n = 1836; MD = -4.93 mmHg, 95% CI = -6.25 to -3.60, p < 0.01) and heart rate (HR, 14 RCTs, n = 1118; MD = -4.43 mmHg, 95% CI = -7.36 to -1.50, p < 0.01) compared to waitlist control. Compared to active control, very low quality of evidence was found for positive effects yoga on SBP (5 RCTs, n = 306; MD = -4.16 mmHg, 95%CI = -10.76 to 2.44, p = 0.22), DBP (5 RCTs, n = 306; MD = -1.88 mmHg, 95%CI = -3.41 to -0.36, p = 0.02) and HR (2 RCT, n = 128; MD = -5.16 mmHg, 95% CI = -8.39 to -1.92, p < 0.01). Overall, the studies showed a high degree of heterogeneity. The effects found were robust against selection, detection and attrition bias.
Conclusion: Yoga may be an option for lowering blood pressure in people with prehypertension to hypertension. More and larger high-quality studies are needed to substantiate our findings.
Details
- Title
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of yoga for arterial hypertension
- Creators
- Christoph Geiger - University Hospital Tübingen (Tübingen, Germany)Holger Cramer - University Hospital Tübingen (Tübingen, Germany)Dennis Anheyer - University Hospital Tübingen (Tübingen, Germany)Gustav Dobos - University of Duisburg-EssenWiebke Kathrin Kohl-Heckl - University of Duisburg-Essen
- Publication Details
- PloS one, Vol.20(5), pp.1-22
- Publisher
- PLOS One; SAN FRANCISCO
- Grant note
- Karl und Veronica Carstens Foundation Germany
Wiebke Kohl-Heckl is a member of a post-doc scholarship by the Karl und Veronica Carstens Foundation Germany. The work itself did not receive any specific funding. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
- Identifiers
- 991013285532702368
- Copyright
- © 2025 Geiger et al.
- Academic Unit
- National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article