Influence of Diet and Yoga Exercises on Body Mass and Physical Fitness

Objectives: Yoga is one of the alternatives that attract the attention of a large number of people in the hope of positive changesin health. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of diet and yoga exercises on the body mass and various functional parameters. 

Methods: Eleven subjects practicing yoga and 11 healthy, non-yoga participated in the study. Body composition was determined with Body Composition Analyzer, model IoI 353. The energy value of the usual diet is calculated through a simple food questionnaire. The assessment of physical development and  functional training was done by several indices.

Results: The main results are that diet containing less fat and protein and more carbohydrates leads to lower body mass index and there is no relationship between muscle mass and the amount proteins in the diet. Yoga affects the breath holding during inhalation in comparison with the control group (p = 0.019), but  does not affect the breath holding during exhalation.

Conclusion: Yoga could significantly improve the general condition of a person, with the main benefits of maintaining a healthy weight.