How YOGA could help asthmatics: Scientists say doing the downward dog can keep lungs healthy

Yoga and breathing exercises can help improve lung function in adults with asthma, analysis suggests.

Around 5.4 million people in the UK suffer from asthma, a chronic lung condition that causes symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness.

Previously, it was thought that exercising could trigger symptoms or worsen attacks.

But new research indicates yoga and breathing control, combined with aerobic exercises such as brisk walking or swimming, could actually improve how well sufferers’ lungs work.

A team from Henan Normal University in China analysed the results of 28 trials involving 2,155 people with asthma and examined the effects of different types of training.

Around 5.4 million people in the UK suffer from asthma, a chronic lung condition that causes symptoms such as coughing

They discovered that breathing techniques, relaxation, yoga and exercise all helped enhance lung function – including the amount of air an individual could exhale in one breath.

Breathing techniques involve diaphragmatic training, also known as ‘belly breathing’, which sees the stomach rather than the chest move with each breath.

Meanwhile relaxation training focuses on becoming aware of tension within the mind and body, while yoga incorporates a variety of movements to stimulate blood circulation.

Lead author Shuangtao Xing said: ‘Breathing training combined with aerobic training, and yoga training, appear to be particularly advantageous – offering potential avenues for effective treatment approaches.

‘These findings should provide valuable insight for healthcare professionals prescribing exercise training for the management of adult asthma patients.’

The study, published in the journal Annals of Medicine, calls further trials to test the different training techniques in asthma patients.

A separate study recently showed that eating leafy green vegetables can lead to healthy lungs and help ward off asthma.

People with low levels of vitamin K – commonly found in spinach, kale and broccoli – are more likely to say they suffer with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and wheezing, according to the research.