Can yoga truly enhance bone density?
Should you ask Google, you’ll discover all types of assets saying sure—yoga is an efficient technique for constructing bone density and stopping osteoporotic fractures, like hip or femur breaks from falls.
A seek for “Yoga for Osteoporosis” pulls up hundreds of hits for books, packages, and movies promising that will help you construct higher bones with a low-impact yoga apply. Even Yoga with Adriene has a “Yoga for Bone Well being” video on her channel, which reaches over 12 million subscribers.
However most of these hyperlinks hint again to 1 most important supply: the work of Dr. Loren Fishman, writer of a number of books together with Yoga for Osteoporosis. He’s additionally the co-author of a 2015 examine that means yoga can improve bone mineral density (BMD) within the backbone and femoral neck—doubtlessly lowering the danger of life-threatening fractures in older adults. The examine was titled, “12-Minute Every day Yoga Routine Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss.”
The Examine That Made Waves within the Yoga World
I keep in mind when the information of Dr. Fishman’s examine got here out. It was an enormous deal within the yoga world and despatched ripples via the broader wellness house.
As a substitute of simply being recognized for leisure, yoga might now be seen as a one-stop-shop for all of your health wants.
It was nice information for yoga practitioners—and nice for enterprise, too. Studios and academics now had scientific backing for what they had been already selling. The examine additionally helped convey yoga additional into the mainstream and validated what many longtime yogis already believed about their beloved apply.
However the greater query remained: Are the examine’s findings legit?
What the LIFTMOR Trial Tells Us About Bone Development
Curiously, the identical 12 months Dr. Fishman’s examine was printed, so was the LIFTMOR trial.
The LIFTMOR trial additionally studied osteoporosis—particularly in postmenopausal girls with no vital historical past of train and low bone mineral density. Contributors had been cut up into two teams: one did low-impact motion at house, whereas the opposite did supervised high-intensity progressive resistance coaching (HiPRT). Every group exercised twice per week for half-hour over an eight-month interval.
The outcomes? There was a vital distinction in bone progress between the low-intensity house group and the supervised power coaching group. And people outcomes had been replicated in a number of comparable trials that adopted.
Even higher? The resistance coaching group had no accidents reported.
So, if low-impact motion had minimal affect on BMD, however the Fishman examine claimed yoga (additionally low affect) elevated BMD—what provides?
Why Dr. Fishman’s Examine Falls Quick
There are a number of flaws in Dr. Fishman’s examine that make the outcomes much less scientifically legitimate.
1. No management group. This implies they’re not evaluating the outcomes of individuals doing yoga to folks not doing yoga. They had been merely doing 12 poses and monitoring their progress—typically qualitatively (“how do you’re feeling?”), typically quantitatively (through bone scans). And not using a management group to match the outcomes to, it’s exhausting to attract dependable conclusions from the findings on this examine.
2. The examine hasn’t been independently replicated. It lacks sufficient element for others to breed it and validate the findings.
3. Potential for bias. Dr. Fishman funded the examine himself. That doesn’t routinely disqualify the work, however it does elevate pink flags—particularly on condition that he income from yoga books, packages, and trainings if the findings help using his services and products.
4. It’s not a blind or double blind examine.
Each one that participated was already a yoga practitioner after they began. It wasn’t a brand new apply for them, however acquainted. One thing they most likely loved. This could have additionally possible impacted how they responded to the yoga poses or had been merely extra inclined to remain dedicated to doing the poses constantly.
Collectively, these components restrict the examine’s validity and scientific rigor.
The Actual Science Behind Constructing Bone Density
Right here’s what we do know: to construct bone, you need to stress bone.
Meaning making use of a specific amount of stress to bones to stimulate progress.
And as your physique adapts, you will need to improve that stress over time. That is what progressive overload is all about—growing the burden or affect to maintain your bones responding and getting stronger.
Put merely, yoga doesn’t apply sufficient drive to considerably improve bone density.
Let’s Get Sensible: What Yoga Can (and Can’t) Do
Most of the poses in Dr. Fishman’s examine had been standing, however some had been seated. One was supine and inactive—savasana, pose #12.
If seated and supine positions constructed stronger bones, we’d all be growing BMD whereas driving or sleeping.
Within the examine, Dr. Fishman argued that yoga pits opposing muscle teams in opposition to one another in a manner that stimulates bone progress. He wrote:
“By pitting one group of muscular tissues in opposition to one other, yoga exposes bones to larger forces and, due to this fact, may improve bone mineral density (BMD) greater than different means.”
Sadly, this merely isn’t true.
At finest, yoga includes bodyweight-only drive—about the identical as strolling your canine. And research repeatedly present that bones want vital load or affect to develop: issues like lifting heavy weights or leaping.
So, Can Yoga Assist You Construct Energy?
Sure—to a degree. However for most individuals—no.
Yoga is a unbelievable basis for power, notably in case you’re new to motion, recovering from damage or sickness, or engaged on reconnecting along with your physique.
As a result of it makes use of body weight solely (plus gravity), you’ll finally plateau in how a lot power you possibly can achieve. But it surely’s nice for constructing endurance in case you maintain poses for longer than a number of breaths.
One Apply Can’t Do All the pieces
Let’s be actual: no single apply checks each health field.
Energy coaching builds muscle and bone, however it’s not cardio. Biking is nice for cardiovascular well being, however it received’t enhance bone density. Dance is enjoyable and expressive and provides affect and cardio, however not power.
Each kind of motion has its strengths and limitations—and that’s okay.
The purpose is solely to say that our our bodies want selection and one type of motion can not do all the pieces our our bodies must be wholesome.
Do Yoga for the Proper Causes
Do yoga as a result of:
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It feels good in your physique.
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It strengthens your mind-body connection.
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It helps you’re feeling grounded and fewer careworn.
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It improves your flexibility and stability.
Do it for all these stunning causes and extra.
However don’t do yoga anticipating it to extend your bone density. It received’t. —Naomi
References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4851231/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26243363/
https://www.karinweinstein.com/put up/yoga-for-osteoporosis-bone-mineral-density
