𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝗴𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴? Meet our Co-Founder and CSO, Raya Khanin PhD , who happily admits that she prefers long walks and yoga to gym workouts. In this post, she examines a new review proposing that yoga may function as a systems-level intervention relevant to healthy aging and longevity—simultaneously engaging movement, strength, balance, breathing, stress regulation, and multiple biological pathways. The scientific evidence is intriguing, but whether these effects translate into measurable changes in biological aging remains unknown. Answering this question will require longer-term studies combining molecular biomarkers with functional measures such as strength, balance, cognition, and frailty. Read Raya’s scientific perspective below. #LifeNome #HealthyAging #Longevity #BiologicalAging #Geroscience #Yoga
𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝗴𝗮 𝗕𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? I have never been a sports person. I do not enjoy running, competitive sports, or spending hours at the gym. But I love walking and I love yoga (especially in nature, or in Central Park). I sometimes felt slightly guilty that this might not be “real exercise.” So here is some encouraging news for fellow yogis, or perhaps something we suspected all along. A new review, “Yoga as a Multi-target Systems-level Intervention in Biological Aging: Molecular Mechanisms and Comparative Evidence,” https://lnkd.in/g6Qqs8C7 argues that yoga should be studied not simply as exercise or relaxation, but as a potential geroscience intervention. Yoga combines physical postures, regulated breathing, and meditation. Together, they may influence the stress-response and autonomic nervous systems, with downstream effects on: 🧬 Telomerase activity and telomere maintenance 🔥 Inflammation and NF-κB signaling ⚡ Oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses 🧠 BDNF, cognition, and brain structure 🫁 Vagal tone, heart-rate variability, and cortisol 🔬 Gene expression and epigenetic regulation The physical component may support strength, mobility, and balance. Regulated breathing may promote parasympathetic activity, while meditation may reduce chronic stress signaling. The human evidence is intriguing. An 8-week randomized trial in 68 dementia caregivers found increased telomerase activity after a brief daily yogic meditation practice compared with memory training. A 12-week exploratory study of 96 participants reported increased telomerase activity alongside lower cortisol and oxidative stress markers. Other studies discussed in the review linked yoga or combined yoga–meditation programs to lower IL-6 and TNF-α, changes in NF-κB-related gene expression, higher BDNF, improved executive function, and differences in hippocampal structure. Yoga may be interesting precisely because it engages multiple systems simultaneously: musculoskeletal, metabolic, neuroendocrine, immune, cardiovascular, and psychological. Most studies are small, short, and heterogeneous. “Yoga” may mean vigorous physical practice in one study and primarily breathing or meditation in another. Some programs also include other lifestyle interventions, making it difficult to identify what produced the effects. The next step should be longitudinal trials using standardized yoga protocols and appropriate comparison groups, integrating molecular biomarkers with strength, balance, frailty, cognition, and other functional outcomes. Yoga offers an integrated combination of movement, strength, balance, breathing, and stress regulation. Whether this translates into measurable effects on biological aging is the question I would like to see rigorously tested. #Yoga #HealthyAging #Longevity #BiologicalAging #Geroscience
