Yoga and Cardiovascular Health Trial (YACHT): a UK-based randomised mechanistic study of a yoga intervention plus usual care versus usual care alone following an acute coronary event

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of yoga practice on subclinical cardiovascular measures, risk factors and neuro-endocrine pathways in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation (CR) following acute coronary events. DESIGN: 3-month, two-arm (yoga +usual care vs usual care alone) parallel randomised mechanistic study. SETTING: One general hospital and two primary care CR centres in London. Assessments were conducted at Imperial College London. PARTICIPANTS: 80 participants, aged 35–80 years (68% men, 60% South Asian) referred to CR programmes 2012–2014. INTERVENTION: A certified yoga teacher conducted yoga classes which included exercises in stretching, breathing, healing imagery and deep relaxation. It was pre-specified that at least 18 yoga classes were attended for inclusion in analysis. Participants and partners in both groups were invited to attend weekly a 6- to 12-week local standard UK National Health Service CR programme. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (i) Estimated left ventricular filling pressure (E/e′), (ii) distance walked, fatigue and breathlessness in a 6 min walk test, (iii) blood pressure, heart rate and estimated peak VO(2) following a 3 min step-test. Effects on the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis, autonomic function, body fat, blood lipids and glucose, stress and general health were also explored. RESULTS: 25 participants in the yoga + usual care group and 35 participants in the usual care group completed the study. Following the 3-month intervention period, E/e′ was not improved by yoga (E/e′: between-group difference: yoga minus usual care:−0.40 (−1.38, 0.58). Exercise testing and secondary outcomes also showed no benefits of yoga. CONCLUSIONS: In this small UK-based randomised mechanistic study, with 60 completing participants (of whom 25 were in the yoga + usual care group), we found no discernible improvement associated with the addition of a structured 3-month yoga intervention to usual CR care in key cardiovascular and neuroendocrine measures shown to be responsive to yoga in previous mechanistic studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01597960; Pre-results.