Yoga may help keep weight off in middle age, study suggests

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Yoga may help keep weight off in middle age, study suggests

By ANNE KIM - Associated Press Writer - 08/28/05

SEATTLE — The slow stretches and meditations of yoga don't burn

calories like a run on the treadmill. But a new study suggests it

might help people keep weight off in middle age.

Researchers found that overweight people in their 50s who regularly

practiced yoga lost about five pounds over 10 years, while a group

in the same age range gained about 13½ pounds over the same period.

Middle-aged people of normal weight generally put on pounds over 10

years, but those who did yoga gained less weight than those who

didn't practice yoga.

The link between yoga and weight loss has nothing to do with burning

calories, said Alan Kristal, one of the researchers from the Fred

Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who co-authored the study.

``Except for very strenuous yoga practices, you don't really burn

enough energy to make any difference in terms of weight,'' said

Kristal, who has practiced yoga for 10 years.

Instead, he thinks yoga helps keep people more in tune with their

bodies and eating habits and aware of bad habits, such as eating

because of stress, boredom or depression.

``You become very sensitive to the feeling of being stuffed,'' he

added.

The researchers collected data from 15,500 people between the ages

of 53 and 57 who were asked about exercise, weight, health and diet

histories. The findings, published in the July/August issue of

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, showed that those who

practiced yoga tended to avoid junk food and overeating because they

wanted to respect their bodies.

Imani, a yoga teacher at 8 Limbs Yoga Center, said it's

difficult to eat heavily and do yoga. ``It's hard to do certain

movements when you've just had a slice of pizza,'' she said.

Gloria Supplee, a 59-year-old who has practiced yoga for five years,

said yoga has seemed to help her maintain her weight. ``Having your

body in a balanced position, your body is more likely to desire

nutrients,'' she said.

, who studies obesity and weight loss at Wake Forest

University in North Carolina, called the research encouraging, but

said it's difficult to prove a direct influence from a single study.

Most yoga fans say weight loss is just an added bonus from the

disciplined form of meditation, controlled breathing and prescribed

postures.

``Yoga does many things,'' said Kathleen , who has practiced

yoga for four years and manages a yoga studio in Seattle. ``It

builds strength, flexibility and clarity.''

At 54, she says it has helped her maintain her weight.

For the 47-year-old Imani, a yoga practitioner for nearly two

decades whose weight has fluctuated since she became

menopausal, ``It's all about trying to find harmony and balance.''