Jornal de Yoga e Fisioterapia
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Our Obesity Crisis Requires the Development of New, Widely Available Options: Can Yoga Function in a Major Role?

Raj Majithia and Timothy R. Koch

The percentage of individuals in the United States who are obese continues to grow. Obesity is associated with the development of a broad group of malignant, metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders. The origins for this major health crisis are presently under investigation. However, potential explanations for this rise in the prevalence of obesity include a sedentary life style, increased number of daily meals, the presence of an eating disorder, a changing job market, or an effect of a yet unidentified environmental agent or exposure. Diet and activity programs in clinical trials provide only modest weight loss, with poor long term maintenance of weight loss. Many patients with medically-complicated obesity therefore consider surgical options for weight loss, termed bariatric surgery. A percentage of individuals do not lose weight after bariatric surgery, while the risk of weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery may be as high as 40% among post-operative patients. The potential role of yoga in the promotion of post-operative weight loss and the prevention of post-operative weight regain remains to be more fully explored.