ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2011
Diaphragmatic breathing reduces exercise-induced oxidative stress.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Effect of Tai Chi on Markers of Oxidative Stress: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- The effect of deep diaphragmatic breathing on fatigue in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancers: a randomized clinical trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of eye movement exercise and diaphragmatic breathing with jogging in reducing migraine symptoms: A preliminary, randomized comparison trial.Brain and behavior · 2023Trial
- Sleep disorders as a prospective intervention target to prevent drug relapse.Frontiers in public health · 2022Trial
- Effect of Yoga Breathing (Pranayama) on Exercise Tolerance in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2017Trial
- Oxygen-induced impairment in arterial function is corrected by slow breathing in patients with type 1 diabetes.Scientific reports · 2017Trial
- Randomized controlled trial of Qigong/Tai Chi Easy on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2015Trial
- Yoga breathing for cancer chemotherapy-associated symptoms and quality of life: results of a pilot randomized controlled trial.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2012Trial
- Preliminary study: comparative effects of lung volume therapy between slow and fast deep-breathing techniques on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, oxidative stress, cytokines, 6-minute walking distance, and quality of life in persons with COPD.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseTrial
- Probiotics, gut microbiota and physical activity: A close relationship.Sports medicine and health science · 2026Review
- Investigating the Association Between Central Sensitization and Breathing Pattern Disorders.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Effect of yogic breathing (pranayama) on periodontal health status, salivary oxidative stress, and antioxidant levels in adults aged 35 to 44 in India: a cross-sectional study.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
- Effects of Yoga-Like Exercises on Mild and Moderate Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol.La Tunisie medicale · 2025Article
- The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing as a Complementary Therapeutic Strategy in Stress of Children and Teenagers 6-18 Years Old.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Effect of deep diaphragmatic breathing on pain in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancers.Heliyon · 2024Article
- The Breathing IQ: an anthropometric index of diaphragmatic breathing efficiency.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Randomized controlled trial investigating the role of yoga at workplace in improving fatigue, burnout, pain, strength, and quality of life among blue-collar workers.Journal of education and health promotion · 2024Article
- Nutritional and Behavioral Countermeasures as Medication Approaches to Relieve Motion Sickness: A Comprehensive Review.Nutrients · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Diaphragmatic breathing is relaxing and therapeutic, reduces stress, and is a fundamental procedure of Pranayama Yoga, Zen, transcendental meditation and other meditation practices. Analysis of oxidative stress levels in people who meditate indicated that meditation correlates with lower oxidative stress levels, lower cortisol levels and higher melatonin levels. It is known that cortisol inhibits enzymes responsible for the antioxidant activity of cells and that melatonin is a strong antioxidant; therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of diaphragmatic breathing on exercise-induced oxidative stress and the putative role of cortisol and melatonin hormones in this stress pathway. We monitored 16 athletes during an exhaustive training session. After the exercise, athletes were divided in two equivalent groups of eight subjects. Subjects of the studied group spent 1 h relaxing performing diaphragmatic breathing and concentrating on their breath in a quiet place. The other eight subjects, representing the control group, spent the same time sitting in an equivalent quite place. Results demonstrate that relaxation induced by diaphragmatic breathing increases the antioxidant defense status in athletes after exhaustive exercise. These effects correlate with the concomitant decrease in cortisol and the increase in melatonin. The consequence is a lower level of oxidative stress, which suggests that an appropriate diaphragmatic breathing could protect athletes from long-term adverse effects of free radicals.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.