Effects of six months intense yoga practice on lipid profile and TSH levels in women with hypothyroidism

Abstract

Background Significant number of women in India are suffering from hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is characterized by elevated lipid profiles and thyroid hormones. Hypothyroidism leads to many co-morbidies like Coronary Artery Disease, Obesity, Depression, Sleep apnea etc. Yoga is known to reduce weight, bad cholesterol and improves the quality of life in many health conditions. Aim To study the effect of 6 month yoga practice on lipid profile and TSH in hypothyroidism women. Methodology 22 household women of hypothyroidism with age (30-40) were enrolled in this study. Lipid profile and TSH level were assessed before and after the yoga intervention. Data was found normally distributed by kolmogrov-smirnov test and thus, paired t-test was used to see the level of changes. Results There was significant reduction in LDL, total cholesterol along with significant increase in HDL. There was reduction in TSH level after the intervention but not statistically significant Conclusion Intense practice of Integrated Yoga reduces the total cholesterol and LDL, improves HDL and it may help in reducing TSH level in women suffering from hypothyroid.