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Introduction: Atherosclerotic carotid intimamedia thickness (CIMT) may be associated with alterations in the autonomic functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 6-month yoga intervention on heart rate variability (HRV) and CIMT in elderly subjects and the correlation between HRV and CIMT. Methodology: This was a randomized controlled study, in which a total of 250 subjects were enrolled. Randomization and allocation in yoga and control groups were performed using computer-generated random numbers. The CIMT was determined by B-mode ultrasonography, and cardiac autonomic function was determined through frequency domain parameter of HRV measures at baseline and after 6 months of yoga intervention. Results: Participants had a mean age of 45.4 ± 6.4 years, and a mean CIMT in control (0.70 ± 0.05) and study group (0.69 ± 0.073), and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio in control (2.20 ± 1.05) and study group (0.57 ± 0.54). Yoga group had evidence of increased vagal activity in the frequency domain (HF and LF/HF ratio, P < 0.001) with respect to control group. Moreover, a study group showed lower intimamedia thickness (IMT) than control subjects (P < 0.01). In the whole population, LF/HF ratio positively and significantly correlated (r = 0.665, P < 0.01) to IMT. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that, after yoga intervention, LF/HF ratio is positively correlated with CIMT, a putative index of atherosclerosis, confirming cardiac autonomic neuropathy as a part of the pathophysiological pathway for atherosclerosis. It confirms that the regular yoga represents a valuable strategy to counter impairments of cardiac autonomic activity and artery structural changes.

Introduction: Diabetes, the most common endocrine disorder, is projected to show a worldwide increase from 366 million people in the year 2011 to 552 million in the year 2030, out of which around 101 million is expected to be contributed by India. Moreover, the disease manifestations start in the early stages of diabetes and before it gets established as a full blown condition in the pre-stage called prediabetes. Aim: To highlight the importance of yoga intervention on metabolic profile and Carotid Intima Media Thickness (CIMT) in prediabetic subjects and implement it as a therapy for primary prevention of diabetes. Materials and Methods: This interventional study was done among adults aged 31-50 years in RUHS College of Medical Sciences and Associated Rukmani Devi Beni Prasad Jaipuria Hospital in Jaipur City, Rajasthan, India. A total of 250 prediabetic subjects were recruited from Jaipuria Hospital. These were divided into two groups, Study group (Group A, n=125) were engaged in yoga session and Control group (Group B, n=125) did not perform any yoga session. Written informed consent was taken from the participants in the local language. Study was conducted over a period of six months from July to December 2018. Statistical analysis was done by student’s paired t-test for intragroup comparison before applying this test the Smirnov-Kolmogorov test was conducted to confirm the normality of each parameter. Results: Yoga intervention resulted in a significant decline in blood glucose (p0.05) and Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) (p-value >0.05), CIMT (p-value