Yoga Mindfulness Promotes Weight Loss

An earlier study done by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that yoga practice can help prevent middle-aged weight gain. The researchers suggested that this was in part due to increased body awareness and mindfulness. Now the follow-up study reports that yoga promotes mindful eating, weight loss and weight management. According to the study authors, "mindful eating describes a nonjudgmental awareness of physical and emotional sensations associated with eating."

The Study

The study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, examined whether yoga practice increases mindfulness and mindful eating. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle developed a Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), a survey that measured eating behaviors including disinhibition, awareness, external cues, emotional response and distraction. The MEQ was administered to 303 participants, mostly well-educated, Caucasian women in their 40s. The subjects provided their weight, height and participation in moderate or strenuous exercise and activities such as walking, running and yoga practice.

The Results

The researchers found that yoga practitioners, not the other exercise participants, had higher MEQ scores. The higher scores on the MEQ were associated with a lower BMI (Body Mass Index). This shows that the participants who ate mindfully (with an increased awareness of why they ate) were less likely to be obese.

The Main Point

"These findings fit with our hypothesis that yoga increases mindfulness in eating and leads to less weight gain over time, independent of the physical activity aspect of yoga practice," states lead researcher Kristal in a news release . "Mindful eating is a skill that augments the usual approaches to weight loss, such as dieting, counting calories and limiting portion sizes. Adding yoga practice to a standard weight-loss program may make it more effective."

Sources

Framson C, Kristal AR et al. Development and Validation of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2009; 109 (8): 1439 . PubMed.gov

Gavalas, Elaine. Yogi In The Kitchen. Penguin Putnam Avery, 2005. YogiInTheKitchen.com.