Yoga is growing in popularity. In 2022, nearly 17 percent of adults in America reported practicing yoga, a significant increase compared to 10 years earlier, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And that’s likely a good thing; a systematic review published earlier this month finds that yoga positively affects our bodies at the molecular level, interfering with the cellular processes associated with inflammation, stress, and aging.
It’s no surprise that yoga is good for us. Although the roots of yoga go back more than 5,000 years, in modern times it has gained popularity as a fitness practice and a therapeutic tool. A large body of evidence developed over the past three decades demonstrates that yoga contributes to both physical and mental health.
Now, researchers are working to understand how exactly yoga improves well-being. The latest systematic view pulls together data from 11 randomized controlled trials involving more than 700 adults to help us better understand yoga’s effect at the molecular level.
First, to understand what’s happening in our bodies when we practice yoga, it’s helpful to think about our genes, the components of our cells passed down from our parents. Our genes provide a blueprint that determines our characteristics and how our body develops and functions.
You can think about genes as a recipe that cells use to create a meal, typically a protein, in a process called gene expression. As technology and our understanding of genes has progressed, researchers have learned that our daily activities leave a molecular signature, altering how our cells use genes to make proteins.
The review authors documented a body of evidence showing that yoga leads to changes in gene expression that support improved health and well-being. Specifically, they identified:
- five studies that found yoga interferes with genes that trigger inflammation in participants with rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, and high blood pressure.
- four studies where yoga activated genes associated with reducing inflammation.
- one study demonstrating that yoga boosts the expression of a gene that helps repair stress-related damage to DNA.
- three studies that demonstrate changes in gene expression related to cellular longevity, suggesting yoga can help slow aging.
- two studies documenting changes in gene expression related to stress resilience.
In addition, the studies found that yoga participants with chronic conditions experienced improvements in symptoms, specifically, reduced disease activity for those with rheumatoid arthritis, improved glycemic control for those with Type 2 diabetes, and improved quality of life among breast cancer survivors.
With scientists discovering changes at the molecular level that demonstrate yoga may counteract health problems associated with stress, inflammation, and aging, the take-home message is clear: Yoga is good for you, in more ways than you may have imagined.
