New Delhi, Jan 1: Six months of yoga lifestyle "significantly reduces" blood pressure in pre-hypertensive patients, a new study by doctors at a city hospital has claimed.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Hypertension, was conducted by researchers from the Department of Neurophysiology of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

"It was a randomised study of 120 patients to study the effect of yoga lifestyle on ambulatory blood pressure in patients with high normal blood pressure (prehypertension)," the hospital said in a statement.

The patients were divided into two groups -- Group A (yoga), who were assigned to practice yoga an intensive lifestyle modification; while patients in the Group B (conventional) were prescribed the conventional lifestyle modifications (exercise, diet, smoking cessation), it said.

"Twenty-four hour diastolic BP particularly the night diastolic and mean arterial pressures showed a significant decrease from the baseline in the yoga group compared to the conventional group, whose members underwent lifestyle modifications at 12 weeks," said Nandini Agarwal, author of the study.

"This study has convincingly demonstrated that yoga intervention in patients with prehypertension can significantly reduce blood pressure," Agarwal claimed.

M Gourie Devi, Chairperson, Department of Neurophysiology at the SGRH, said, "Hypertension is a major public health problem throughout the world with over one in five adults affected worldwide and this is likely to increase to 29.2 per cent by 2025."

Pre-hypertension is a precursor of clinical hypertension and is closely related with the increased incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, Devi said.

Sandeep Joshi, co-author of the study, said, "Patients with prehypertension (120- 139 / 80-89 mmHg) have an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality compared with patients who have normal blood pressure (less than 120/80 mmHg)."

The yogic practices that were followed in the study were, health rejuvenating exercises, asanas, breathing and relaxation exercises and meditation, the hospital said.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Vijayanagara: One man was killed and 12 others were injured after a truck hit vehicle they were traveling in on the National Highway 50 stretch on the outskirts of Koodligi in the district.

The accident victim, Madhu (27), is learned to have been an employee of Reliance Digital from Andhra Pradesh.

The vehicle was reportedly traveling from Bengaluru to Koodligi and the passengers are learned to have been seriously injured following the collision with the truck, which was found to have a Maharashtra registration.

Koodligi Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Mallesh Dodmani and Circle Inspector Prahlad Channagiri arrived at the accident spot on being informed of the accident.

The police officers and locals rescued the injured passengers and got them shifted to the Koodligi Government Hospital. Some of the passengers were reportedly taken to the Ballari Trauma Care Centre for further treatment.

A case has been registered at the Koodligi Police Station and the officers are investigating the incident.