Loewenthal J, Innes KE, Mitzner M, Mita C, Orkaby AR.
Effect of Yoga on Frailty in Older Adults : A Systematic Review. Ann Intern Med. 2023 Mar 14. doi: 10.7326/M22-2553.
Copyright: © 2023 Annals of International Medicine. All rights reserved.
OVERVIEW
A systematic review of the literature on the effect of yoga on frailty identified 33 clinical trials, including 2,384 adults aged 65 years and over. No trial evaluated the effect of yoga on overall frailty.Â
Compared to usual education and care, yoga practice improves walking speed, balance, strength and endurance of the lower limbs. However, it is not necessarily more effective than other active interventions. The heterogeneity of the studies, the styles of yoga, the small size of the study populations as well as the gaps in the presentations may have introduced a selection bias.Â
Nevertheless, the identification of positive effects of yoga on some aspects of frailty in older people is important evidence for the introduction of yoga-based interventions in this population.



