Effect of Yoga Training on BMI and Physiological Variables in Women with Fasting.

Introduction: One of the pillars of faith among Muslims is fasting. Many research studies on the effects of fasting on physiological variables have been performed. Also, a lot of research on the effects of yoga on psychosomatic illness has been conducted that shows the positive impact of yoga on the mind and body Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of yoga and a month of fasting on BMI and physiological variables in novice athletes. Materials and Methods: This study was quasi - experimental and was conducted in the field.Of the 60 subjects in this study, using a questionnaire, 20subjectswere selected that were in complete health and randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group practices yoga regularly for four weeks, two sessions per week, and each session lasting 60 minutes that included sasana, Shavasana and was Pranayamy. The control group did not participate in a regular exercise program. This study was conducted in the month of Ramadan 1391( 2012), when both groups were fasting during the study period. The blood sampling and body mass index measuring in three phases, namely, a week before Ramadan, the fifteenth day of the month, and a week after Ramadan, were performed. Blood sampling was done in the month of Ramadan in the afternoon, 12 hours after dawn breakfast. Kalmograph-Smirnov test for normality of the data, independent T-test, analysis of variance with repeated measures and Bonferroni post hoc test for analyzing assumptions, was used. Significance level was set at P<0/05. Results: Results show significant differences in the levels of high-density lipoprotein in different measures from the experimental group while, there was no significant change in the control group. Also, this study showed slow-density lipoprotein levels, blood cholesterol, blood sugarand triglyceride levels did not significantly change in any of the groups. Significant differences in BMI measures in the experimental groups were observed but no significant change in the control group was seen. Conclusion: This study showed that practicing yoga can be effective on weight control and balance during Ramadan and it can be used as a positive approach during fasting Conflict of interest: non declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]