Metabolic impacts of yoga: evidence for obesity, diabetes, and cancer therapy

Yoga as a metabolic intervention is an emerging area within lifestyle medicine, drawing increasing attention for its potential to impact a range of chronic diseases. While physical activity is widely recognized for its benefits on metabolic health, yoga uniquely combines body postures, breath regulation, and meditation, influencing a range of physiological systems. Despite substantial research supporting the role of yoga in managing obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, the metabolic dimensions of yoga—including its effects on glucose regulation, lipid metabolism, neuroendocrine function, inflammation, and immunometabolism—remain incompletely understood. Of growing interest is yoga’s influence on cancer metabolism, particularly regarding metabolic reprogramming in tumor biology. Though studies have demonstrated some mechanistic and clinical benefits, gaps persist in our comprehension of the pathways involved, the dose-response relationships, and the translation of findings to specific patient populations. Furthermore, the clinical integration of traditional yogic practices with contemporary biomedical strategies presents both scientific and implementation challenges.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of yoga as a systems-level intervention for metabolic health, with particular emphasis on obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The goal is to highlight both foundational scientific mechanisms and translational opportunities, promoting dialogue between basic researchers, clinicians, and integrative health practitioners. We seek to clarify the molecular and systemic pathways through which yoga exerts metabolic effects, examine clinical outcomes through randomized trials and observational studies, and identify best practices for integrating yoga into standard care for chronic metabolic diseases and cancer. The initiative will explore questions such as: How does yoga affect metabolic flexibility or immunometabolism in disease contexts? What are the critical neuroendocrine or inflammatory mediators involved? Can integrating yoga enhance the efficacy of current metabolic therapies or cancer treatments?Contributions to this Research Topic should focus on yoga as a purposeful metabolic intervention, rather than general exercise or physical activity, and target its relevance to metabolism and chronic disease. Both original research and comprehensive reviews are welcomed. Key themes include, but are not limited to:o Mechanistic studies of yoga on glucose and lipid metabolismo Effects of yoga on neuroendocrine and inflammation pathwayso Clinical and translational research in metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabeteso Yoga’s influence on metabolic reprogramming and immunometabolism in cancero Integration of yoga-based approaches with conventional treatment regimenso Implementation science: barriers and facilitators to delivering metabolic yoga interventionso Methodological innovations in measuring metabolic outcomes in yoga researchWe invite original research articles, mechanistic studies, clinical and translational research, reviews, and opinion pieces that address any of these themes. Topic editors: Pradeep MK Nair, Karishma Silwal Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80384/metabolic-impacts-of-yoga-evidence-for-obesity-diabetes-and-cancer-therapy