Yoga may be as effective at reducing the risk of developing heart disease as traditional physical activities, such as brisk walking and cycling, new research suggests.

Scientists in the Netherlands and the US carried out a major review of 37 trials involving almost 2,800 people. They found that the risk of developing cardiovascular disease was lower among people who did yoga when compared to people who did not exercise.

However, they also found that the reduction in risk related to yoga was similar to the reduction seen with more traditional physical activities.

In fact, according to the scientists, yoga could prove to be a ‘potentially effective therapy' for heart health.

"This finding is significant as individuals who cannot or prefer not to perform traditional aerobic exercise might still achieve similar benefits in [cardiovascular] risk reduction," they commented.

When compared with no exercise, yoga led to a number of heart-related improvements, including a lower body mass index (BMI), lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels - all risk factors for heart disease.

However, when compared with physical activities, yoga was also found to produce similar effects to aerobic exercise. The scientists suggested this might be because of yoga's role in reducing stress, which can have a positive effect on how the body works.

They also noted that this form of exercise could be particularly beneficial for people with ‘lower physical tolerance like those with pre-existing cardiac conditions, the elderly, or those with musculoskeletal or joint pain'.

"Yoga has the potential to be a cost-effective treatment and prevention strategy given its low cost, lack of expensive equipment or technology, potential greater adherence and health-related quality of life improvements, and possible accessibility to larger segments of the population," the scientists added.

Details of these findings are published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

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