AVENTURA, Fla. – A recent study found that just 15 minutes of yoga a day could be beneficial for lowering blood pressure.
The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, compared the benefits of yoga versus stretching.
Along with the use of blood pressure medications, the researchers found the group that did yoga saw more significant improvements in resting blood pressure and heart rate compared to stretching.
“The exercises are similar but different. Yoga seems to have an effect on the fight or flight mechanism involving the adrenal gland and modulates the effect of hormones, cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine which leads to a significant drop in blood pressure and pulse,” said cardiologist Dr. Leonard Pianko.
He said hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a silent killer because you may not experience any symptoms.
Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have hypertension.
And a recent survey found the average American spends nearly three-thousand dollars a year on wellness products in hopes of staying healthy.
That’s according to data collected by Vitacost, a vitamin and supplement company.
The survey of two-thousand people showed 60 percent would even travel far distances to find healthy products for their families.
52 percent say they take vitamins and supplements daily and more than half say they check for healthy ingredients while grocery shopping and prepare home-cooked meals.