A systematic review of the health effects of yoga for people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia

Abstract Background Yoga is a mind-body practice that can elicit robust health and wellbeing effects for older adults. As a result, there is increased public and academic interest into the potential benefits of yoga for older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Methods Literature searches in five databases (CENTRAL, PubMed and EBSCOHost indexing CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection) were conducted from the databases’ date of inception through to 4 September 2020 to identify pre-post single and multigroup studies of yoga-based interventions involving people with MCI or dementia. Effects on cognitive, mental, and physical health were evaluated, as was safety and study quality. Results Database searches identified 1431 articles. Of these, 10 unique studies met inclusion criteria (total 421 participants). Four studies each implemented Kundalini yoga and chair yoga, while two employed Hatha yoga. Most programs ran for 12 weeks (n = 5) and compared yoga to a control group (n = 5). Most studies reported improved cognition, mood, and balance. However, these effects were marred by the high risk of bias identified in all articles. Four studies assessed safety, with one instance of dizziness reported. Conclusions In this emerging field, these studies show that yoga may be safe and beneficial for the wellbeing of people with MCI or dementia. More high quality randomised controlled trials are needed to improve the evidence-base and overcome the limitations of existing studies.

研究背景 瑜伽作为一种身心练习方式，可对老年人产生显著的健康与福祉增益。正因如此，公众与学界对瑜伽用于轻度认知障碍（MCI）及痴呆患者的潜在益处愈发关注。研究方法 本研究检索了5个数据库（CENTRAL、PubMed以及收录CINAHL Plus、PsycINFO、心理学与行为科学合集的EBSCOHost），检索时限为各数据库建库起至2020年9月4日，旨在筛选涉及MCI或痴呆患者的瑜伽干预前后单组及多组研究。本研究评估了干预对认知、心理及身体健康的影响，同时对研究安全性与研究质量进行了评价。研究结果 数据库检索共得到1431篇文献，其中10项独立研究符合纳入标准，总计纳入421名受试者。4项研究采用昆达里尼瑜伽（Kundalini yoga），4项采用椅子瑜伽，另有2项采用哈他瑜伽（Hatha yoga）。多数干预方案持续12周（n=5），其中5项研究将瑜伽与对照组进行比较（n=5）。多数研究报告称瑜伽可改善受试者的认知、情绪与平衡能力，但所有研究均存在较高的偏倚风险，削弱了上述结论的可靠性。4项研究评估了干预安全性，仅报告1例头晕不良事件。研究结论 在这一新兴研究领域中，现有研究表明瑜伽或许对MCI及痴呆患者的福祉具有安全性与获益性。未来仍需开展更多高质量随机对照试验，以完善相关证据体系，弥补现有研究的局限性。