Yoga Boosts Antioxidants

Boost your Antioxidants: Yoga is not simply a good form of exercise.

We practice yoga because somewhere deep down we know it’s good for us. But science is always helping us out. Recent research finds yoga boosts the body’s levels of antioxidants, lowers blood pressure in hypertensive people and lowers the risk of diabetes by improving blood sugar control.

Yoga Boosts Antioxidants

Turns out that Yoga boosts antioxidants in practitioners. Researchers in India studied 57 elderly men with high blood pressure. Each group exercised for an hour per day for six days a week for three months. One group practiced yoga, the other group walked.

At the end of the study period, the researchers found that the yoga group had significantly increased antioxidant levels, including increases in Vitamin C.

Yoga Improves Blood Sugar Levels

Other research has concluded that yoga can positively effect blood sugar.

Another group of scientists tested 29 adults who had blood sugar control problems and considered prediabetic. The control group made no change, while the study group practiced yoga a few times a week.

After three months, the yoga group showed two benefits: reduced blood sugar as shown by the glycemic index and reduced systolic blood pressure. As an added benefit the  yoga group had reduced body mass index levels andreduced levels of oxidative stress. Boom!

Yoga is good for body and soul

While yoga practice in general has been shown to reduce stress and calm the mind – hatha yoga exerts subtle benefits upon the body, shown by these studies. The researchers came to the same conclusion as you and me – yoga is good for the body and the soul.