Why Yoga Isn’t Sufficient to Enhance Bone Density

Can yoga truly enhance bone density?

In the event you ask Google, you’ll discover all kinds 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 can assist 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 important supply: the work of Dr. Loren Fishman, creator of a number of books together with Yoga for Osteoporosis. He’s additionally the co-author of a 2015 research that implies yoga can improve bone mineral density (BMD) within the backbone and femoral neck—probably decreasing the danger of life-threatening fractures in older adults. The research was titled, “12-Minute Day by day Yoga Routine Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss.”

The Examine That Made Waves within the Yoga World

I bear in mind when the information of Dr. Fishman’s study got here out. It was a giant deal within the yoga world and despatched ripples by way of the broader wellness house.

As an alternative of simply being recognized for leisure, yoga may 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 lecturers now had scientific backing for what they had been already selling. The research additionally helped convey yoga additional into the mainstream and validated what many longtime yogis already believed about their beloved apply.

However the larger query remained: Are the research’s findings legit?

What the LIFTMOR Trial Tells Us About Bone Development

Curiously, the identical 12 months Dr. Fishman’s research was revealed, so was the LIFTMOR trial.

The LIFTMOR trial additionally studied osteoporosis—particularly in postmenopausal girls with no important historical past of train and low bone mineral density. Contributors had been cut up into two teams: one did low-impact motion at dwelling, whereas the opposite did supervised high-intensity progressive resistance coaching (HiPRT). Every group exercised twice every week for half-hour over an eight-month interval.

The outcomes? There was a important distinction in bone progress between the low-intensity dwelling group and the supervised power coaching group. And people outcomes had been replicated in a number of related 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 research claimed yoga (additionally low affect) elevated BMD—what offers?

Why Dr. Fishman’s Examine Falls Brief

There are a number of flaws in Dr. Fishman’s research 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 individuals not doing yoga. They had been merely doing 12 poses and monitoring their progress—generally qualitatively (“how do you are feeling?”), generally quantitatively (through bone scans). And not using a management group to check the outcomes to, it’s arduous to attract dependable conclusions from the findings on this research.

2. The research 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 research himself. That doesn’t mechanically disqualify the work, however it does elevate crimson flags—particularly provided that he income from yoga books, packages, and trainings if the findings help using his services.

4. It’s not a blind or double blind research.

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 is able to 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 research’s validity and scientific rigor.

The Actual Science Behind Constructing Bone Density

Right here’s what we do know: to construct bone, it’s a must to stress bone.

Meaning making use of a specific amount of stress to bones to stimulate progress.

And as your physique adapts, it’s essential to improve that stress over time. That is what progressive overload is all about—growing the burden or impact 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 research 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 research, Dr. Fishman argued that yoga pits opposing muscle teams in opposition to one another in a means that stimulates bone progress. He wrote:

“By pitting one group of muscle mass in opposition to one other, yoga exposes bones to better forces and, subsequently, may improve bone mineral density (BMD) greater than different means.”

Sadly, this merely isn’t true.

At greatest, yoga entails bodyweight-only drive—about the identical as strolling your canine. And research repeatedly present that bones want important load or affect to develop: issues like lifting heavy weights or leaping.

So, Can Yoga Assist You Construct Power?

Sure—to some extent. However for most individuals—no.

Yoga is a implausible basis for power, notably in the event 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 ultimately plateau in how a lot power you may acquire. But it surely’s nice for constructing endurance in the event you maintain poses for longer than a number of breaths.

One Follow Can’t Do Every little thing

Let’s be actual: no single apply checks each health field.

Power coaching builds muscle and bone, however it’s not cardio. Biking is nice for cardiovascular well being, however it gained’t enhance bone density. Dance is enjoyable and expressive and presents affect and cardio, however not power.

Each kind of motion has its strengths and limitations—and that’s okay.

The purpose is just to say that our our bodies want selection and one model of motion can not do all the things our our bodies have to be wholesome.

Do Yoga for the Proper Causes

Do yoga as a result of:

• It feels good in your physique.

• It strengthens your mind-body connection.

• It helps you are feeling grounded and fewer pressured.

• It improves your flexibility and steadiness.

Do it for all these lovely causes and extra.

However don’t do yoga anticipating it to extend your bone density. It gained’t. —Naomi

References:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4851231/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26243363/

https://www.karinweinstein.com/submit/yoga-for-osteoporosis-bone-mineral-density

EPISODE 51: PERSISTENT MYTHS ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS