HHS HealthBeat (February 4, 2010)

Yoga versus stress

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Yoga and other kinds of meditative physical activity may do some measurable good against stress. Researcher Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of Ohio State University found signs of this when she compared 50 women – experts and beginners in yoga.

Kiecolt-Glaser was looking at blood chemicals such as interleukin-6 that are associated with stress – and with risks of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes:

[Janice Kiecolt-Glaser speaks] ``The experts, when we stressed them, had a smaller stress response in terms of interleukin-6 than the novices. And that would be a good thing as you’re going through your daily life.’’ 

Kiecolt-Glaser thinks the experts had developed a lower level of response to stress.

The study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011