text_1: 12 Minutes of Yoga for Better Bone Health
text_2: This is a thorough and balanced report of research into the effects of yoga on bone density. While yoga provides a range of potential health benefits including increased flexibility, balance and strength (all factors which can help prevent falls and fractures), the researchers focused specifically on whether a 12 minute per day yoga routine could increase bone density. Although improvements were found after a decade of research, helpful caveats about the limitations of the study (lack of a control group, self-reported nature of the study) kept it away from the realm of exaggeration. Yoga is hugely popular and growing in importance, so understanding the specific effects of daily practice of yoga could influence current thinking about its role in disease prevention and health promotion. If a specific effect of yoga on bone density is likely then possibly reducing fracture risk through daily yoga practice could be a viable alternative to ingesting bisphosphonate drugs. As the article mentions, these drugs are widely prescribed for osteoporosis and are frequently toxic to the gastrointestinal system as well as having other numerous serious adverse effects.