Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28431533›Full record

Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2017

Effect of a 16-week Bikram yoga program on heart rate variability and associated cardiovascular disease risk factors in stressed and sedentary adults: A randomized controlled trial.

Zoe L Hewett, Kate L Pumpa, Caroline A Smith, Paul P Fahey, Birinder S Cheema

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  10. Significance of Yoga for the Management of Dyslipidemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2025
    Review
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  14. CanSports medicine and health science · 2023
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Zoe L HewettSchool of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia. zoehewett@hotmail.com.
Kate L PumpaResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, ACT, Canberra, 2617, Australia.
Caroline A SmithNational Institute of Complementary Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
Paul P FaheySchool of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
Birinder S CheemaSchool of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
Western Sydney University · AUUniversity of Canberra · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChronic activation of the stress-response can contribute to cardiovascular disease risk, particularly in sedentary individuals. This study investigated the effect of a Bikram yoga intervention on the high frequency power component of heart rate variability (HRV) and associated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (i.e. additional domains of HRV, hemodynamic, hematologic, anthropometric and body composition outcome measures) in stressed and sedentary adults.

methodsEligible adults were randomized to an experimental group (n = 29) or a no treatment control group (n = 34). Experimental group participants were instructed to attend three to five supervised Bikram yoga classes per week for 16 weeks at local studios. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline (week 0) and completion (week 17).

resultsSixty-three adults (37.2 ± 10.8 years, 79% women) were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. The experimental group attended 27 ± 18 classes. Analyses of covariance revealed no significant change in the high-frequency component of HRV (p = 0.912, partial η

conclusionsA 16-week Bikram yoga program did not increase the high frequency power component of HRV or any other CVD risk factors investigated. As revealed by post hoc analyses, low adherence likely contributed to the null effects. Future studies are required to address barriers to adherence to better elucidate the dose-response effects of Bikram yoga practice as a medium to lower stress-related CVD risk.

trial registrationRetrospectively registered with Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616000867493 . Registered 04 July 2016.

Indexed as

Blood PressureBody CompositionHeart RateMeditationYogaAdipose TissueAdultAnalysis of VarianceBody Mass IndexCardiovascular DiseasesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsSedentary BehaviorHatha yogahealthinactivitymetabolic diseaseobesityoverweightphysiological stress

Identifiers

PMID28431533
PMCPMC5399826
OpenAlexW2607191318

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.