Yoga Therapy in Functional Dyspepsia. A Narrative Review

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Neurogastroenterology

Background:

• Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prevalent upper gastrointestinal disorder with persistent symptoms.
• Current pharmacological treatments offer limited efficacy for this chronic, relapsing condition.
• The pathophysiology of FD is not fully understood but involves gut-brain axis dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential effects of yoga on FD pathophysiology.
• To explore yoga's impact on mechanisms like gastric motility, hypersensitivity, and psychological distress.
• To assess the current evidence for yoga as a complementary therapy for FD.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of scientific understanding of yoga's effects on FD mechanisms.
• Analysis of existing research on yoga and functional gastrointestinal disorders.
• Synthesis of evidence regarding yoga's influence on gut-brain dysfunction in FD.

Main Results:

• Yoga may positively influence gastric motility, fundic accommodation, and duodenal inflammation.
• Evidence suggests yoga could alleviate psychological distress and improve gut-brain communication.
• Limited studies exist, with one notable study including FD cases in children.

Conclusions:

• Yoga shows potential as a beneficial complementary therapy for functional dyspepsia.
• Further rigorous research and clinical trials are necessary to confirm yoga's efficacy in FD management.