Role of yoga in the prevention and management of various cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors: A comprehensive scientific evidence-based review.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. CVDs are the leading cause of deaths worldwide. Though yoga is gaining popularity as a therapy, especially in CVD patients, there is a lack of a comprehensive review reporting its role in the management of various CVDs and their risk factors. Thus, we performed a comprehensive literature search in the PubMed/Medline electronic database. An aggregate of 603 articles published from inception were screened and 85 articles that are applicable were reported. This review suggests that yoga may play a role as an adjuvant in the management of various CVDs and their risk factors. However, many studies had a small sample size, different types and durations of the yoga interventions, and did not provide the details of mechanisms behind the improvements. Thus, further studies are warranted to explore the mechanisms of the impacts of yoga.