Oxidative stress contributes to the process of
aging as well as a variety of chronic degenerative
diseases. There are indications that
psychological stress increases
oxidative stress whereas
relaxation decreases it. We have measured the concentration of
thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (
TBARS) in
blood as an
indicator of
oxidative stress at the beginning and at the end of a comprehensive
yoga-based
lifestyle modification program (YLMP). The data was collected from 104 subjects (59
male, 45
female), 19-71 years of age (mean +/- SD, 41.2 +/- 14.6 years). The YLMP consisted of a nine-day educational
out-patient course on the theory and practice of
yoga and included, besides a daily one-hour practice of physical
postures (asanas) and
breathing exercises (pranayama),
lecture and
films on
yoga, stress management and
nutrition, practice of
meditation and shavasana (a
relaxation technique), and individual
counseling. Venous
blood samples were collected on the first and last day of the
course. The
serum concentration of
TBARS decreased significantly from 1.72 +/- 0.72 nmoles/ml on day 1 to 1.57 +/- 0.72 nmoles/ml on day 10 (P<0.05). The study suggests that a brief
low cost lifestyle intervention based on
yoga reduces
oxidative stress.