(AP file photo)

New research from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center shows that yoga does more than help fight fatigue for women who have breast cancer and are getting radiation therapy.

Simple stretching exercises improved fatigue in a study but patients who participated in yoga that incorporated yogic breathing, postures, meditation and relaxation techniques experienced improved physical functioning, better general health and lower stress hormone levels, said a news release from MD Anderson. Those women also “were better able to find meaning in their cancer experience,” the release said.

The findings are to be presented next month in an oral session at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Lorenzo Cohen, professor and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson, said of the study, “The combination of mind and body practices that are part of yoga clearly have tremendous potential to help patients manage the psychosocial and physical distress associated with treatment and life after cancer, beyond the benefits of simple stretching.”

He noted that the study was the first to look at the benefits of yoga to cancer patients by comparing their experience with patients in an active control group who integrated simple, generic stretching exercises into their lives.

How it was done

For the study, the news release said, 163 women with breast cancer in stages 0 to 3 and with an average age of 52 were randomly placed into one of three groups: a yoga group; a simple stretching group; or a group that did neither yoga nor stretching. Participants in the first two groups attended sessions specifically tailored to breast cancer patients for one hour three days a week throughout their six weeks of radiation treatment.

The women then were asked to report on their quality of life, including such factors as fatigue, daily functioning, benefit finding, depression and spirituality. Saliva samples were collected and electrocardiogram tests were administered at the beginning and end of treatment, as well as one, three and six months after treatment.

After completing radiation therapy, only the women in the yoga and stretching groups reported a reduction in fatigue. At one, three and six months after radiation therapy, women who practiced yoga during the treatment period reported greater benefits to physical functioning and general health. They were more likely to perceive positive life changes from their cancer experience than either other group, said the news release.

In addition, the women who practiced yoga had the steepest decline in their stress hormone levels across the day, “indicating that yoga had the ability to regulate this stress hormone. This is particularly important because higher stress hormone levels throughout the day, known as a blunted circadian cortisol rhythm, have been linked to worse outcomes in breast cancer.”

According to Cohen, developing a yoga practice also helps patients after completing cancer treatment. “The transition from active therapy back to everyday life can be very stressful as patients no longer receive the same level of medical care and attention. Teaching patients a mind-body technique like yoga as a coping skill can make the transition less difficult.”