Evidence Base of Yoga Studies on Cardiovascular Health: A Bibliometric Analysis

Noncommunicable diseases including coronary artery disease contribute to approximately 50% of global mortality. Pharmacological treatment alone may not be a panacea for such diseases since it may be associated with various other adverse effects. Hence, strategies such as Yoga involving healthy lifestyle and stress management are widely sought by the patient population.

An electronic search of PubMed as a standard bibliographic database was performed through February 2015 using the keywords "Yoga" and "Cardiovascular." Studies with Yoga as the independent variable and parameters related to cardiac health as the dependent variable were included and exclusion criteria were applied.

A total of 149 publications were identified which met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Of the total publications, 44% were clinical trials of which 19% were randomized controlled trials which may be categorized as high-quality ones. An upward trend in the overall research in this area is evident. Major work has been accomplished by researchers of the United States (38%) and India (29%).

The survey indicates that the number of publications in the field of "Yoga" and "Cardiovascular" health has increased rapidly in the late years. Analysis comprising the nation/state helps define its status with regard to its counterparts and helps understand science priorities and disease control strategies in an effort to provide cost-effectiveness and quality control. There is a need for further high-quality studies in the field of "Yoga" and "Cardiovascular" diseases to validate the effects of Yoga on health parameters.