By Wendy Haaf
Yoga may be as beneficial as tai chi and other forms of exercise for older adults when it comes to reducing the risk for frailty—a physical state that impairs the body’s ability to recover from illness and injury. That’s what researchers concluded after systematically reviewing 33 randomized controlled trials comprising 2,384 participants aged 60 or older.
When yoga was compared to no exercise or education only, there was “moderate-certainty” evidence that it improved two markers of frailty: gait speed and lower-extremity strength and endurance, though no more so than activities such as exercise and tai chi.
Evidence that yoga improved balance and handgrip strength—also measurements that are used to diagnose frailty—was of low and very low certainty, respectively.
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
