Yoga for the Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome

Study Interventions: There will be a 12-week intervention period.

• Yoga Therapy Group: Those randomized to yoga therapy will receive twice-weekly group yoga sessions at the Osher Center for the entire intervention period. The yoga postures and breathing techniques will be taught by a qualified and certified yoga instructor using a standardized protocol that was determined by a Yoga Expert Panel. Each group yoga session will take approximately 90 minutes. Participants will also be required to practice yoga at home at least 3 times per week, and be given yoga materials (mat, blocks, straps), an instruction manual, and a video for their use at home. They will be asked to keep a calendar log of the dates/times that they practiced yoga at home. This group will also receive a 20-30 minute session with a counselor to discuss Standard Health Education at the beginning of the 12-week intervention. This session will be similar to the control group intervention.
• Standard Health Education Group: Participants assigned to the standard health education group will receive an individual 20-30 minute session with a trained research associate within a week of their baseline visit. In this session, participants will be informed of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, given written information of the Food Guide Pyramid12 and told to follow the equivalent of the National Cholesterol Education Program Step I diet13. They will be counseled to reduce weight and increase physical activity. This is similar to the intervention given to the "Standard Lifestyle Group" in the Diabetes Prevention Program4.

Inclusion criteria

• to be between the ages of 30 and 65 years,
• fulfill at least three criteria for the metabolic syndrome per the NCEP guidelines:

• waist circumference (>88 cm for women; >102 cm for men),
• HDL-cholesterol (<50 mg/dl for women; <40 mg/dl for men),
• triglycerides >=150 mg/dL
• fasting glucose >=100 mg/dL, and/or
• high blood pressure (>=130/>=85 or use of antihypertensive medication), and
• report an underactive or sedentary lifestyle defined as accumulating less than 30 minutes of moderate intensity endurance exercise 5 days per week.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy or lactation
• Coronary heart disease (defined as a myocardial infarction or cardiac intervention with percutaneous transluminal catheterization or coronary artery bypass graft surgery) event or hospitalization in the past 6 months
• Chronic illnesses: cancer, kidney disease, cirrhosis, rheumatogic diseases, or chronic infections
• Current use of these medications: oral diabetes medications, insulin, steroid hormones, oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, niacin, fibrates.
• Regular participation (>1/week) yoga for past 3 months or concurrent use of yoga
• Current major psychiatric illness, cognitive impairment, or substance abuse
• Plans to move out of the study region within 6 months
• Life-expectancy of < 6 months
• Concurrent enrollment in any other studies, experimental therapies, or blinded treatments