Yoga and Diet on Cognitive, Nutritional Status, Mental and Functional Abilities in Older Adults

NCT ID: NCT06304688

Last Updated: 2024-10-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 125 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-11-13
• Study Completion Date: 2024-02-12

Brief Summary

Yoga has emerged as a powerful therapeutic practice for enhancing physical and mental health across all age groups, including older adults and younger individuals. For seniors, yoga aids in maintaining flexibility, muscle strength, balance, and posture, thereby reducing the risk of falls and injuries. It also alleviates chronic pain, enhances sleep quality, and mitigates stress and anxiety, contributing to improved overall mental and emotional well-being in this demographic. As individuals age, they undergo physical and mental changes that impact their quality of life. Yoga offers tailored benefits for older adults by preserving joint mobility and flexibility, lowering the risk of falls, and easing chronic pain associated with conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis. Moreover, it fosters stress reduction, anxiety relief, and depression mitigation, fostering emotional equilibrium. The practice of yoga from a young age yields numerous advantages for both physical and mental health, including enhanced concentration, attention, and memory-beneficial qualities for university students. Moreover, yoga aids in stress and anxiety reduction, fosters positive body image, and bolsters self-esteem, contributing to vitality and active aging. Yoga is efficacious in enhancing quality of life and facilitating healthy aging by offering adaptable, gentle exercise that caters to individual needs and limitations. Its mindfulness and body awareness aspects foster a stronger mind-body connection, fostering overall well-being and balance. With its adaptability and accessibility, yoga transcends socioeconomic barriers and physical conditions, making it a viable option for people of all backgrounds. In a society marked by rising stress and lifestyle-related ailments, yoga emerges as an invaluable therapeutic avenue for promoting health and well-being. Its holistic approach and adaptability to individual needs make it an appealing option for individuals seeking sustainable improvements in physical and mental health. Thus, the integration and promotion of yoga as a therapeutic modality in health and wellness domains are warranted. Also, Nutrition plays a fundamental role in the health and well-being of individuals at all stages of life, but it is especially crucial in old age due to the physiological and metabolic changes that occur during the aging process. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is essential for providing the necessary nutrients for proper body function, strengthening the immune system, and maintaining the health of bone and cardiovascular structures. Specifically, the Mediterranean diet is a traditional dietary pattern based on foods commonly consumed in Mediterranean regions such as Greece, Italy, and Spain. It is characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, along with moderate intake of dairy and red wine, and limited con-sumption of red meat and processed products. This eating style has been the subject of numerous scientific studies highlighting its multiple health benefits. Apart from the physical health benefits for older adults, the Mediterranean diet has consistently been associated with positive effects such as reduced risk of cardiovascular pathologies, de-creased chronic diseases and pro-inflammatory factors, as well as contributing to the prevention of obesity and cognitive decline.

Conditions

Aging

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: TRIPLE

Study Groups

Control Group

The control group (CG) will not undergo treatment, which will be evaluated in the pre- and post-phase of the study. Participants assigned to this group will receive general advice on the positive effects of regular physical activity, and they will be given the guide of recommendations for the promotion of physical activity.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Experimental Group

The experimental group (EG), after an initial evaluation, will be subjected to a physical training program based on the yoga method, for 12 weeks with 2 weekly sessions (Tuesday and Thursday), with a duration of 45 minutes per session. Once the intervention is finished, you will undergo a final evaluation again to see if there is a difference or not with the results obtained at the beginning. In addition to the yoga intervention, the experimental group received a Mediterranean diet protocol.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Yoga and Mediterranean Diet intervention

Intervention Type: OTHER

It will last 12 weeks with a frequency of 2 sessions per week and each lasting 50 minutes.

• Warm-up phase (10 minutes): Conscious and gentle breathing. Gentle movements of the neck, shoulders, arms and legs to increase blood circulation and flexibility.
• Training phase (30 minutes): Series of gentle postures adapted to the needs of older adults. Includes standing, sitting and lying postures for relaxation and stretching. It will begin with basic postures and breathing techniques and will gradually advance as participants gain confidence.
• Return to calm (10 minutes): Deep relaxation in a lying position to integrate the benefits of the practice and promote total relaxation of the body and mind.

The Mediterranean diet consisted of: i) carbohydrates constitute 50% of the daily intake; ii) fats represented 35%; and iii) proteins represented 15%.

Interventions

Yoga and Mediterranean Diet intervention

It will last 12 weeks with a frequency of 2 sessions per week and each lasting 50 minutes.

• Warm-up phase (10 minutes): Conscious and gentle breathing. Gentle movements of the neck, shoulders, arms and legs to increase blood circulation and flexibility.
• Training phase (30 minutes): Series of gentle postures adapted to the needs of older adults. Includes standing, sitting and lying postures for relaxation and stretching. It will begin with basic postures and breathing techniques and will gradually advance as participants gain confidence.
• Return to calm (10 minutes): Deep relaxation in a lying position to integrate the benefits of the practice and promote total relaxation of the body and mind.

The Mediterranean diet consisted of: i) carbohydrates constitute 50% of the daily intake; ii) fats represented 35%; and iii) proteins represented 15%.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

To participate in the study, participants will be required to:

• Who are over 65 years old.
• Who do not participate in any physical exercise program.
• Have sufficient physical autonomy to participate in the physical activities required by the study and are able to understand the instructions, programs and protocols of this project.

Exclusion Criteria

• All participants with contraindications for performing the physical tests will be excluded.
• Diseases that limit cognitive performance and physical activity.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Jaén

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Agustín Aibar Almazán

Principal investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Agustín Aibar Almazán

Jaén, , Spain

Countries

Spain

Other Identifiers

University of Jaén_24

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id